Friends Forever
by TiredOfBeingNice
Summary: Eighth in the 'Friends' series. Benny and Sky face the enemy they have been chasing for years. With the future before them, the gang has to go on one final adventure: to uncover the secrets of the Weir family, and destroy the Shadow once and for all. The question in the end is how much one is willing to sacrifice it all for the truth. Rated T for swearing/mature themes.
1. Origin of a Shadow

**a/n- wassup? it be tobn here in the new year!**

 **yes, new year, new me, new author's note! i've decided that i like to type in all lowercase? i think it is very casual and what not, and it makes it feel a little less formal. yeah? yeah.**

 **but yes yes, it is here, and it is better than ever — the new addition of the friends series: friends forever XD don't you like the title? isn't it cheesy? i hate it, but whatever, too late to change it now :P also i drew the cover. it's not as bad as the last one, i swear :P**

 **glad that you could make it, and hopefully you brought some snacks because i am kind of hungry :P so happy that you came back to read more of this wonderful story! this is the newest and possibly the _last_ addition of the friends series! is that exciting? i think it's just a bit sad for me :P of course, that doesn't mean i can't surprise you a bit before it ends (hint hint, the diamond project, hint hint ;D). **

**anyway, i won't keep you any longer, especially because you have been waiting for this for so long :P without further ado, here's a boring origin story!1! (don't worry, it's a bit exciting, lol).**

 **disclaimer: i still don't own mbav or its characters. just sky bryans, mark peterson, talia baxter, other oc's, and the plot-o. cool beans? the coolest :)**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

Friends Forever: Chapter 1: Origin of a Shadow

* * *

" _I wasn't who you thought I was."_

Sky stood there, dumbfounded; she knew it was him, didn't she? Wasn't there a big part of her that knew already? Why did she all of the sudden feel so... _guilty?_

" _I'm assuming you want answers, no?"_

Why couldn't she speak? Sky knew she had a thousand words she could say at the moment — most of them being slurs of violence and curses — but she couldn't find any. Was she shocked? She shouldn't be; she had a nagging feeling this was the answer they were looking for. Why was she so surprised she was right?

" _You look surprised, Skylar,"_ he said as if reading her mind. _"You must've had some sort of knowledge of this happening. After all, you are_ _ **always**_ _right."_

Sky snuck a glance at Benny; his eyes were wide, and he had somehow managed to get on his knees, cradling his dead grandmother's head in his arms. She winced; this wasn't going to help anything.

" _You know I like drama, so shall I twist this story into view?"_

Ethan looked absolutely enraged; Sky knew that he was as guilty as her. He should've listened to Sarah; it's the mantra that probably rung in his head.

No one was as guilty as she was.

" _...oh come on! Nobody wants story time? Everyone_ _ **loves**_ _my stories."_

Rory's fingers were clenched into a tight fist, and he was actually _shaking._ Erica seemed to notice this as well; she held his closed fist and squeezed it, allowing a second of eye contact to occur, before Rory pulled away slightly. Sky sighed.

It was her fault.

" _You guys are being silly. Are you telling me that, after all this time, you don't want to know the story behind the mask?"_

She should've just ignored him at the window.

She should've just not kissed him all those years ago before she left him for good.

She should've just ignored his offers for help when he found her crying under a tree in her favourite playground even before that kiss.

She should've _done something._

" _Well I'm going to start without your consent. Might as well get it over with before you guys find out yourself. If anyone should tell you the story, it must be_ _ **me.**_ _"_

"Then talk." Sky's mouth seemed to move on its own.

She was met with a toothy grin, and she felt disgusting, a darkness in her mind she usually pushed away creeping back in and plaguing her thoughts.

She was falling. Again.

She didn't even realize she was crying when she saw Erica look at her with tears. Sarah and Ethan held each other close, but Sky's eyes were locked on Benny, who was still on his knees beside his dead grandma.

 _Dead_. It was such a blunt word for something so tragic.

" _I knew you'd come around,"_ Mark Peterson said, black wings from before disappearing in a cascade of ashes. He waved his hand in the air slowly, and a thick mists surrounded them.

" _Let me paint a picture for you, shall I? After all, every fairytale starts with a 'once upon a time'..."_

* * *

"The story starts with with a mortal who went by the name of Hunter Peterson. He was young and handsome; a hit amongst most ladies. However, the only reason he was such a lady's man was his looks; his personality was something people had to tolerate to get even remotely close to him. He was stubborn, hard-headed, and always wanted to do things his way. Needless to say, he wasn't the kindest person"

 _ **A man with curly hair and chocolate brown eyes walked along the street with an almost radiant glow around him, drawing the attention of people — primarily women — along the road he practically owned. But there was some sort of darkness inside him, floating on the inside of his chest and in his mind.**_

"So, naturally, it was a surprise to some when one day, he announced he had married a lovely, orange-haired maiden; _Talia Baxter._

Ethan's eyes widened. "N-No…"

"Gross!" Rory said at the same time.

Mark smiled. "Yes. Talia Baxter was _my mother._ "

Silence. Mark continued on.

"They married under the moonlight on the summit of a mountain — something that seemed quite extraordinary and impressive, but was no big deal to them, as Talia was actually a extremely powerful spellmaster; so powerful that if she were to die, she could resurrect herself — and anyone she wanted — out of _the Oblivion itself."_

"The Oblivion Spellmaster…," Sarah trailed off. Sky look disgusted at Mark's sick grin.

"Hunter, of course, had known this, and loved her even more; or so she thought."

 _ **They kiss, his hands wrapped around her lace-bound waist. Her eyes closed as she cupped his cheek, but his eyes were wide open with an even wider smile.**_

"Inevitably, a year after their wedding, they conceived a wonderful child, who was special and awesome in every single way. Who am I talking about? Well, _me_ of course! Yes, friends; this was the birth of Mark Peterson. And boy was it a game-changer."

 _ **Cradling a baby boy with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes, Talia smiled.**_

" _ **His eyes. They aren't yours or mine; they belong to the powers within me," she whispers in his ear, looking at her baby in awe. Hunter rose an eyebrow.**_

" _ **He must be really powerful," he said, choosing every word carefully, but still smiling through the whole sentence; especially when he got a nod out of it.**_

"Wait, you mean—" Benny stood up on his feet, blood on his hands, and took a step back to stand beside his girlfriend. Mark nodded, a smirk on his face.

"You're right; _our_ dad was more evil than I would ever be."

Benny said nothing, but the horrified expression on his face said it all.

" _ **YOU'RE EVIL!" she screamed, her hair fading from orange to black from the blast that Hunter shot at her, moving to get closer to Mark, whose eyes were wide open, as if he knew what was happening. "I loved you, Hunter! I can't believe you would just use me like this! Mark and I...we're going somewhere you can NEVER HURT US AGAIN!"**_

 _ **When she blinked, he was gone. She stiffened, grabbing the basket in her hands and barely lifted it up when she felt.**_

 _ **With a shriek, Talia dissolved into ashes, and the basket with Mark fell softly on the ground. Hunter watched as a string of blue magic lifted from the pile of ashes and into his heart. He grinned; it was done.**_

"So Hunter killed Talia for her powers," Sarah said. "Unbelievable."

Mark nodded. "Wasn't the best choice, but it was done. He would pay for it later in the story, but I never would. He fled, and we never saw her again; or so we thought."

 _ **The man stood above his ex-wife's ashes. He smiled sullenly.**_

" _ **My dear girl...to me, your death was to come anyway."**_

 _ **He walked away with his child, and he didn't know that a soul appeared out of the ashes.**_

 _ **And it drifted away in the wind, darkness in its center.**_

Erica looked at Mark. "So you're telling me that even without her powers, Talia was still able to escape death? I don't believe you."

Mark let a "tsk" escape from his teeth, looking at the blood drying on his hands.

"Don't assume things, Jones," Mark said. "She managed to keep half her powers, which was enough to let her soul escape the Oblivion. Unfortunately, her body was quite useless, as it was all turned to ashes, so she just had to find her own."

Erica rolled her eyes. Sky kept herself from wanting to lunge at Mark and kill him, but she needed answers.

She snuck another glance at Benny, and realized he was doing the same; he was trembling in fury, tears running down his cheeks. Mark seemed unfazed.

"What happened to you and your dad?" Ethan asked. Mark shrugged, as if he was bored.

"We left. Not much to it, other than the fact that my dad made sure we both put what happened behind us. We started a new life in a little place we now call Whitechapel."

Benny sucked in a breath, but said nothing. Sky finally found her voice.

"What the hell were you doing in Whitechapel?" She let the third word slip out, and Mark smiled; he was getting to her.

"I was there, seven years later, for when my dad married a young, kind-hearted spellmaster named _Lily Adams."_

Benny was red. His eyes held an indescribable pain, but every part of his body just felt like he was on fire. He glared at Mark and lunged towards him. Mark laughed as Sky and Ethan desperately tried to pull the spellmaster away.

" _NO!"_ Benny screamed through tears. "You're lying! _You're always fucking lying!_ If you had anything to do with what happened to her, then I will kill you right here, _RIGHT NOW!"_

Mark rolled his head back. Benny finally calmed down, yanking Sky off his arm, and looking at Mark with anger in his eyes. Erica frowned.

"Lily Adams...who is that? She sounds familiar…," Erica asked quietly. Benny looked down, not looking at anyone in the eye.

"Adams," Benny whispered, his voice hoarse and raspy. "That was my mom's maiden name before she got married to my dad."

"Wait...are you telling me that Hunter was Benny's dad? That means…" Rory looked at Mark, then Benny. He pieced it together as soon as the words came out of his mouth.

"Y-You're brothers?" Rory said in shock. Benny looked disgusted; ashamed even.

Mark's eyes twinkled. "Of course we aren't. Don't be stupid, ditz. We are _half-brothers."_

Now Erica was mad, pulling Rory back and flashing her fangs towards Mark. He did the same almost seamlessly, and Erica reeled back.

"So Hunter was my dad…?" Benny asked hesitantly. "Are you telling me that it wasn't...David Weir?"

Sky looked at Benny with big eyes, and tears of frustration and anger beading in his eyes.

"B-Benny…," she said quietly, reaching to touch his shoulder. He flinched, and pulled back swiftly, as if in slow motion.

" _Don't touch me,"_ Benny said darkly. "I don't need your fucking sympathy right now."

Sky pulled back as if her hand was just burned. She understood what the spellmaster was going through, but the words still hurt. Benny didn't look too keen on apologizing as well, so Sky didn't let it get to her _too_ much.

"My mom didn't marry a monster." Benny gritted out through his teeth, "She wouldn't marry your dad. She would know. I don't believe you."

Mark laughed as if he was happy of everything that has been stirred. He waved his hand again and painted a picture with the air.

"Well of course she didn't know until you were born. Unfortunately, like everything in the world, answers show themselves eventually."

The picture that was shown to the gang made Benny sob.

" _ **You aren't touching my son!" Lily screamed, throwing Benny's child certificate and their wedding certificate off the table and to the grown, burning it with her magic. "You are an evil man! You're a psychopath! You are never going near Benny ever again!"**_

 _ **Hunter's hands glew black. Mark stood behind him, standing by his dad; he knew what his dad did, but he was determined to stand by him — even if it meant going against his only brother.**_

" _ **Now relax, Lily," Hunter said, eerily calm. "We don't need to make this hard. I can make you forget this painful information. I always have."**_

" _ **YOU'RE A MONSTER!"**_

Benny looked at the painted version of his mom; admittedly, her words stung, and he felt as if she was talking to him.

The problem was that he couldn't recognize her. Her emerald eyes held a hatred he couldn't recognize at all.

Those weren't the eyes that tucked him in at night.

Those weren't the eyes that always held a reassurance when he had nightmares at the brink of midnight.

Those weren't they eyes that told him, "Everything is going to be okay."

 _But those were his eyes._

Benny, despite all the bubbling emotions, did nothing but _watch._

 _ **Lily screamed as she, with Benny still in her arms, shot a blast of magic at Hunter's heart, a streak of black hitting his chest.**_

" _ **Daddy!" Mark screamed, and Lily locked eye contact with the blue-eyed boy, horrified at what she had done.**_

 _ **Hunter was nothing but ashes.**_

" _ **O-Oh my god…," she whispered, looking at her right hand, which was trembling with sparks of black.**_

 _ **She saw as a stream of magic floated from the ashes and into Mark's chest. His eyes glowed a different kind of blue; no longer the soft blue that once was, but a blue that was piercing and sharp.**_

 _ **Lily could only recognize this as Oblivion powers; something she has never seen in all her life.**_

 _ **Mark regained his balance and glared at Lily, blue light glowing darkly in his clenched fist.**_

" _ **You're going to PAY FOR THAT!" Mark screamed, his seven year old physique not allowing him to do much other than lunge towards his step-mom. Lily, horrified, clutched Benny in her arms and closed her eyes. She uttered a Latin spell and they disappeared in a blue light.**_

Benny was lost for words. He couldn't believe it. Mark nodded at Benny's reaction.

"Lily left me — a seven year old at the time, mind you — alone, and brought you with her. She married David Weir, took his last name, and raised you out of fear of me returning and killing you. David was also a spellmaster, so it was easier for him to understand what was happening. His mother, dead Evelyn over here, helped them raise Benny in safety. Evelyn erased Benny's memories of what happened, just in case, and Lily and David were about to leave him in the care of Evelyn for safety, but David wanted to wait eight years. Of course, as we all know, eight years later—"

"Benny's parents died in a car crash," Rory finished, avoiding eye contact with his emerald-eyed friend. "What _really_ happened?"

"Talia managed an attack, thanks to my... _persuasion."_

 _ **Benny was running as fast as his childish legs could across the endless fields.**_

 _ **"BENNY!" he heard his mother scream. Benny wanted to turn around for the sake of it.**_

 _ **He didn't.**_

 _ **He kept running.**_

 _ **"BENNY, I'M SORRY!" His father yelled, and this time, Benny turned around, but only to see that his father, his mother, and his grandma were standing right behind a girl, whose eyes were demonic black - but had a glint of electrifying blue - and hair was jet black, with a fiery orange streak in it.**_

 _ **"W-Who..." Benny whispered, his kid-like eyes filled with wonder and fear.**_

 _ **The girl with the orange streak smiled. "I used to have orange hair, kid."**_

 _ **Benny looked over her shoulder — why weren't his parents coming?**_

 _ **"A force field," she whispered. "They'll never get out."**_

 _ **Benny gulped. The girl grinned.**_

 _ **"Orange hair," she hissed. "I had orange hair. My ex had brown. The son I conceived had my eyes, and his hair." She sighed. "He was beautiful."**_

 _ **Benny stumbled back, and the girl with an orange streak frowned darkly. "But it faded. He was crazy. I died. Then came back. Then was trapped. And my own son..."**_

 _ **She stopped. "No more than that."**_

 _ **Benny shook his head. "What do you want from me? Miss. Robbie said that if you never did bad to someone else, they have no right to do bad to you—"**_

 _ **The girl grabbed his neck, and Benny could hear his mother scream in terror. "Not what I did. What they did."**_

 _ **Benny looked at his fearful family, and she laughed. "Has mommy ever told you about witches, Benjamin? She must've told you they were evil."**_

 _ **She grinned. "But no one is evil without a purpose."**_

 _ **Benny screamed as the girl dragged her nail across his forehead, digging through his flesh and making a scar. Benny screamed as he felt blood, and she pushed black magic into his chest. Benny felt pain, then blacked out.**_

 _ **The girl cackled, dropping the limp boy's body, and disappearing.**_

 _ **The mother, the father, and the grandmother broke out of their bindings, and dashed straight to the young boy's unconscious body.**_

 _ **A dark scar was forming.**_

 _ **"No more waiting." The mother finally said.**_

 _ **The father nodded sadly as the grandmother began the brain wiping. "No more waiting."**_

"I don't know what happened to Lily and David. I heard they died in a car crash, but I will never know the real events. Only Evelyn did, as she was there. I just knew that they left, and never returned, leaving Benny with a blank mind and in the care of Evelyn."

 _ **A small swing set was silently pushed by the wind, and it was merely sunset. The grandmother frowned as she looked at her 8 year old grandson, who was unconscious on the couch with a deep scar. She then looked to her son and his wife, and frowned sullenly.**_

 _ **"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked silently. The mother nodded.**_

 _ **"We waited long enough." She said roughly, turning around without looking back. The father sighed as he looked down.**_

 _ **"This was my fault. I should've not told her to wait. We waited eight years. And we almost lost him." The father said sadly, seeing a glimpse of a dark scar that was marked on his son's forehead, and was buried beneath his ruffled hair. The grandmother shook her head.**_

 _ **"You spent eight years with your son and took it to your advantage. You took those years, and didn't waste a single second of them. You should feel proud." The father sniffed back tears as he nodded, looking at his son, then kissing his mom on the cheek before turning around, a single tear down his cheek.**_

 _ **"Take care of him. His life depends on it. And remember; he mustn't remember this."**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **A small swing set was silently pushed by the wind.**_

 _ **It was far past midnight now.**_

 _ **They didn't come back.**_

Sky sneaked another glance at Benny, who was trembling.

His world was falling apart, and he didn't know if it would build back up.

"W-Why did Talia attack me?" Benny whispered. "I assumed that her revenge was with you and...Hunter."

He couldn't say 'my dad'. He just couldn't.

Mark grinned. "This is where my story comes in."

 _ **"Ew," An eight year old boy with piercing blue eyes stated. "You're my mom?"**_

 _ **The nine year old girl with an orange streak nodded. "Yes, I'm your mom."**_

 _ **"Why the hell do you look like...that?"**_

 _ **"I possessed a nine year old, you fool. I planned on using this disguise so you can fall for me and I could finally get my revenge on you and your father by finally killing you. Unfortunately, I pissed off some crazy troll and he took my Oblivion powers."**_

 _ **"You still have your Oblivion powers?" The boy asked. "I thought Dad took your powers, which then went to me when he died?"**_

 _ **"I still had half," the girl said proudly. "That's all I really needed."**_

 _ **The boy nodded, and the girl sighed. "I need to get them back, so you have to get me out."**_

 _ **"You are one crazy bitch."**_

 _ **"Young man, I may look 9, but I am still your mother, so wash your mouth with soap."**_

 _ **The eight year old boy crossed his arms. "How do I know you aren't tricking me?"**_

 _ **The girl groaned as Mark sighed. "Besides, your 'revenge' is half way done; Dad died."**_

 _ **"Really?" the girl said, frown growing into a smile. "Now who let that happen?"**_

 _ **"My half-brother's mother." The boy growled.**_

 _ **"Well, get me out, and I'll help you kill her." she compromised.**_

 _ **The boy's eyes glistened in mischief, and he went out at once. The girl smiled to herself; this was supposed to be a trap so she could finally kill her evil son and let herself rest in peace, but little did she know things were going to go a little downhill.**_

 _ **The boy returned with the orb containing her powers, and when the girl absorbed them, she smiled. The boy let her out, and just before she was to use her powers to kill him, the boy placed his hand on her forehead, and she screamed in agony.**_

 _ **"You know I have the gift of truth," The boy smiled wickedly. "I knew you were tricking me all along."**_

 _ **When the girl reclaimed herself, she looked at the boy in front of her, mind void to revengeful thoughts.**_

 _ **"Who are you?" she asked curiously.**_

 _ **The boy snickered. "The person who'll help you defeat the Weirs once and for all."**_

 _ **The girl smiled evilly, and her memories of grudges against her son and his father disappeared in a thin trail of smoke.**_

"So you brainwashed your own mom?" Rory asked in shock. "You are pure evil! To do that to someone just so you could use them, but to top it all off, she was the one who gave birth to you! How could you do that?!"

Rory's voice rose. Sky didn't think she has seen Rory so mad. Mark shrugged.

"It's just what I do," he replied briskly. "I knew she was tricking me all along, so I helped her get out, brainwashed her, and then we decided to go our separate ways until we needed each other. She would stop growing old when she was sixteen, so I told her to turn me when I was sixteen as well."

Mark smiled towards Sky. "And that, of course, leads us straight to Arizona."

Sky could feel her cheeks go red. "You met me when we were ten. You said that you had parents. You told my parents that you had a home to go with you. The girl at your funeral — Aunt Geraldine? Was she even your aunt?"

Mark laughed. "Of course she wasn't. I hypnotized her, killed her, and buried her in the ground. Lots of dirt; that girl was fat. She supplied a wonderful dinner though..."

"It all adds up now," Ethan said. "You stayed in Arizona until Sky had to move. You must've followed her here, and then found out she met Benny, so you were keeping a close eye on him as well. And Talia...we killed her the night she brought all our fears to life. She came back to life as Atil X. Bataer, and then we killed her for good in the fairytale realm."

Erica frowned. "You didn't bring her back to life this time. Why?"

Mark shrugged nonchalantly. "She was no use to me anymore."

Benny looked down at his hands. Those were the hands that killed an innocent woman. Those were the hands of that killed someone who didn't need to die.

They were trembling, and Benny nearly broke down again.

"So that's it," Sky said quietly. "It all leads back up to here."

Mark's pearly grin made Sky sick to the bone. Standing in front of her was the so-called "friend" that stuck by her through thick and thin. Standing in front of her was the man outside his shell, exposing who he truly was. Standing in front of her was the boy she had loved. Standing in front of her was the reason she cried every night, and the reason why she couldn't move on.

Standing in front of her was no longer her friend, but her _enemy._

" _I HATE YOU!"_ she screamed, and without warning, blasted a spell at Mark's forehead, hoping to kill him.

He stumbled back, nearly tripping over Evelyn's dead body that was against the wall. He winced, lifting his hand to feel an open wound on his forehead.

Instead of retaliating against her, he faced his attention towards Benny.

"Why you should thank your girlfriend, _brother,_ " Mark teased; "for giving us matching scars.

Benny looked horrified, and before anyone could stop him, Mark disappeared in a thin cloud of black smoke.

…

Silence. It remained like that for what seemed like hours. All they could do was stare at where Mark once stood and the dead body of Evelyn lying on the ground.

Sky was the first to break down. She collapsed on her knees beside Evelyn's body, stroking the silver hair out of her lifeless eyes.

"I-I'm sorry," she wheezed. "I couldn't do it. I failed. Y-You are supposed to be alive, but y-you aren't—"

When Benny fell onto his knees beside her and wrapped her into a warm embrace, tears leaking down his face, she fell silent once again.

And now everyone stood around the two broken spellmasters, kneeling beside what they have lost.

"What do you we do now, Benny?" Sky whimpered. Benny dug his face into Sky's shoulder, tears drenching the fabric.

"I don't know," Benny whispered into her shoulder. "I don't fucking know."

* * *

Monday is the first day of spring break. To most of the students, it means that they would get two weeks off school. To some students, it meant hanging out with friends rather than studying for more important things. To other students, it meant social freedom.

To Team V, it felt more like two weeks of recovering from war, mourning the fallen, and tying any loose ends before going into battle.

Maybe that was why Sky couldn't step in her house.

She fell asleep at the Weir residence the night before, hoping it would all just be a horrible nightmare. When she woke up, the blood was cleaned up, and Evelyn was lying on the couch, cleaned up to the best of their abilities. She woke up alone to find the vampires making some sort of breakfast in silence, and when she asked where Benny was, they had told her he locked himself in his room.

They were going to have a funeral in a week. That's what everyone decided. Sky didn't bother arguing, since they seemed like they wanted to get it over with before any of them broke down again. Other than that agreement, their conversations went nowhere.

Now Sky is standing in front of her house, her hand on the doorknob.

The door was open; it always was at this hour. It was _her_ house, so she didn't see why she couldn't just go in. Her parents were probably worried about her, and she didn't want to make them more upset.

She was going to tell them.

She decided that a long time ago. She was going to be the one who would tell them before they found out the same way that she did; by surprise. She wanted to know if she had their support or not, so she could start planning ahead.

Though she tried not to think of the worst.

They had to be supportive. They were her _parents._ But she knew parents who just threw their children on the streets for stupid mistakes.

Sky took it back immediately; the baby in her stomach was _not_ a mistake.

This might have been the thought she needed, as a pang of confidence surged through her body and she twisted the knob.

The minute she walked into her house, she was faced with the shocked faces of her mom and her dad. Their faces were sticky with tears, and her dad dropped the phone and ran up to her. Sky's mom sobbed, running up to her and hugged her tightly.

"S-Skylar," her mom sobbed. Sky felt all her walls break down again and she collapsed into tears in her mom's shoulder. She felt her dad wrap his arms around the two of them.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't call you," Sky whispered. Her dad shook her head.

"Well it's a bit too late for that now. But let's forget about that; you didn't come home last night, and we were so worried. We tried calling you, Benny, Ethan, even Evelyn—"

The word triggered memories and she sobbed loudly. Her parents reeled back slowly, exchanging nervous looks.

"What is it, honey? Why are you crying?" her mom asked.

Sky found the words and spoke them as quietly as she could.

"Evelyn's dead."

The two words cause silence in the house. Sky's mom was the first to react, tears running down her face, and she buried her head in Sky's dad's chest. He looked at Sky.

"H-How?" he whispered. Sky bit her lip.

"Mark. He killed her. He's alive...it's all my fault!" she wailed. Her dad led them all to the living room so they could sit down.

After getting everyone some drinks, Sky began to tell the story. She told them everything Mark had told them through sobs and tears.

"That bastard," Sky's dad growled when it was all over. "If I ever see that motherfucker again—"

It wasn't like Sky's dad to swear. Sky's mom placed a hand on his shoulder in hopes of telling him to calm down. Sky nodded.

"I know," she whispered. "I want to kill him. He hurt Benny...he hurt _me._ "

It hurt to admit that Mark had some sort of impact on her. She didn't want him to be such a significant part of her life, but he was. It made her sick.

She gagged. Her face turned white, and she covered her mouth. Her parents exchanged worried looks and her dad sprinted to get a bucket from the bathroom and gave it to Sky.

She threw up, tears rolling down her cheeks, the repressed bile in her stomach finally getting out. She reeled back, looking disgusted.

"Sky? Are you okay? Oh my god, honey, you're heating up—"

"I-I'm pregnant."

Now _those_ two words were a game-changer. Sky's dad's breath hitched, and Sky's mom covered her mouth in shock.

"Y-You're pregnant?" she said in shock. Sky buried her face in the palm of her hands.

"I-I'm so sorry. B-Benny and I, w-we...and the condom broke...and _I'm sorry!"_

Her parents remain quiet. Sky wiped her tears with the palm of her hands.

"If you want to disown me, you might as well tell me now," Sky said quietly, looking down as if she knew what was to happen. Her parents looked aghast.

"We would never!" her dad exclaimed. Sky looked up.

"You're not mad?"

Sky's mom bit her lip. "We're not mad. A bit disappointed, yes, but that will never change the fact that we love you so damn much, Sky."

Sky's dad nodded. "We will always be there for you, Sky."

Sky broke out into a smile through her wet tears.

"Thank you, mom and dad!" She sniffled, pulling them into a hug. "I love you so, _so_ much."

And now all three of them were crying a mix of happiness and sadness in the middle of the living room, all wrapped in each other's embrace.

Sky feared for tomorrow, but she tried to ignore it; tomorrow is a day away.

* * *

They all left him alone.

Benny didn't know how long it has been since he was cooped up in his room. He had locked the door, and hasn't let anyone in for a good week. He could hear his friends' muffled words behind his door, banging at it and pleading for him to let them in.

That was days ago.

Now it was Friday and the noises have stopped. They must've gave up. Benny felt a bit more guilty, but they out of all people should know what he was going through.

He had no one. He mustered up the courage to call somebody about Evelyn this afternoon. He wasn't sure who to call; the funeral services? The paramedics?

He ended up calling both of them, explaining she was murdered. They asked him if he wanted an investigation, but Benny reclined. They took her away, and he told them the funeral would be next week. They were all confused to why it was so early, but he explained he didn't want to wait anymore.

That was hours ago.

Now the house was truly empty. When everyone — the paramedics, the funeral services, his friends, _his grandma —_ left, Benny cleaned up around the place, putting up bookshelves and sweeping the broken pieces of glass that held magical potions she made weeks ago.

He felt like a zombie walking around a graveyard. His moves were sluggish and programmed, as if it wasn't even him controlling his movements.

After cleaning up, he looked at the time; _3:48 PM._ The landlord was coming to discuss Benny's living situation. Benny had called him a few hours ago to meet him, despite how miserable he felt. He figured he might as well take care of business now than later. He wanted to get it over with.

Benny took a brisk shower, wincing as he washed over the bruises and cuts from his attacker — which he figured was now Mark as well — and wore his best white shirt and jeans. He walked out of his room and into the hallway, before stopping in front of his grandma's bedroom door.

It was closed, and was obviously empty. The last thought made Benny remember everything was _real._ Everything that happened was real, and wasn't a nightmare. It was all a reality.

The thought made him shudder. He hated thinking about those kind of things.

Shaking the thought out of his head, he walked past the room and went downstairs, preparing some sort of fruit tray for the landlord — even if he was a complete and utter mess, he didn't want to show it.

Eventually, the doorbell rang, and Benny smoothed out his shirt and took a deep breath.

' _You can do this,'_ Benny thought to himself, silently reassuring himself before he opened the door to see the bright smile of his landlord.

"Benjamin!" he exclaimed, waltzing right in. "Good day, lad!"

" _Lad."_ The words were all too familiar. Benny tried not to think about it that way.

"Hi, Mr. Gazzoli," Benny said flatly, stepping aside to let the man walk into his living room. He sat on the couch, and immediately went for the fruits on the plate, to which he smiled.

"You sure know how to brighten things up with visitors, do you, Benjamin?" he asked as Benny walked to stand by the couch. "Your grandma taught you well."

Benny paled significantly. "Yeah, she did."

"Say, where is your grandma now, young lad?" His questions were pushing against Benny's walls, and eventually he snapped.

"Dead." His voice is cold. "She passed away on Sunday."

The landlord nearly drops the strawberry on the carpet.

"D-Dead?" Benny's face remained emotionless. The landlord stood up and ushered Benny into somewhat of an awkward hug.

"Dear boy, my apologies and condolences."

Benny shrugged. "S'fine."

The house was silence once more, and the landlord sighed.

"So what do you plan on doing with the house?"

Benny's nerves spiked up again, his annoyance towards the man growing with every oblivious word he said. He just wanted to get everything over with, but this man was clearly making it harder.

"I intend to keep it," he said.

Mr. Gazzoli remained clueless. "Keep it? I know your house runs through family inheritance, but there is still quite some amount of money to be paid off—"

"It's fine," Benny said, cutting him off. "I will pay whatever is left."

"But you're only eighteen—"

"Then that means I am technically an adult. I will take whatever job and pay off the house myself."

"A-Are you sure you want to keep the house?" Mr. Gazzoli asked, tugging the hem of his blazer. "Even if it is technically yours through family inheritance, you could make quite a good amount of money selling this house. This isn't in the best condition, you know…"

He trailed off, and Benny sucked the bottom part of his lip anxiously, thinking of an answer to fill the silence.

"It just feels... _right,_ " Benny finally said.

Silence filled the house for the umpeteenth time that week. Benny sat down at the couch and looked at the still-standing Mr. Gazzoli.

"Well?" he asked, desperately trying not to show any signs of annoyance. "Shall we start the paperwork?"

* * *

Eventually, the first week of spring break comes and goes, and on Saturday the whole gang decided to meet up at Lotta Latte. The plan was to discuss their next moves to stop Mark from doing any more evil deeds, and — much to Benny's dismay — Evelyn's funeral arrangements.

Rory and Erica were the first ones to get there, so they split some breakfast and coffee, and saved a booth for their friends.

"How was the end of school before spring break?" Erica asked, trying to get some small talk going on. Rory shrugged.

"It was fine. A bit stressful, but that's all normal. Lots of cramming before exams and some final assignments."

Erica smirked. "Oh, to be a senior again."

Rory smiled. "How about you? Are you on spring break for two weeks, or is it shorter? I kind of want to spend some time with you and maybe get some ice-cream—"

His remarks are cut off with a giggle.

"I am, Rory, don't worry. We'll do whatever you want." She paused, and sadly added, "You know, after the funeral tomorrow and what not."

Rory sighed. "Thanks for reminding me."

Erica watched his face fall, and she sighed.

"I'm sorry, Rory. I really want this all to be normal too. But I don't think that will happen soon."

Silence filled the space in between the two. Wanting to break the ice, Rory leaned forward and smiled.

"What do you want for the future?"

"Hm?" Erica mumbled distractedly, sipping her coffee.

"Like, what do you want to be," Rory repeated, "in two years or something."

Erica blushed. "Well, I'm not too sure. I haven't had much time to think about it."

Rory rolled his eyes. "Now that's a lie. Come on, help me out here; there has to be something you aspire to be in a few years."

Erica bit her lip before answering, "Well I'm taking journalism and english courses; perhaps that will get me somewhere. I kind of want to be a human while I still can; vampirism is cool and all, but I don't think I'd like to live forever. Still debatable though."

Rory smirked, leaning across the table and placing his chin in his hand.

"Am I part of that future?"

Erica smiled smugly, leaning back against her seat.

"We'll see." She winked.

And in that very moment, Rory saw the fire he fell in love with. The fire that burned his heart and left ashes in his mind. The fire that travelled from her to him, spreading through his body like a wildfire.

The fire that was now love.

In that moment, Rory sealed his own future with one thought: _'I can't wait to make you part of my future.'_

* * *

Their friends came about a half hour later. Erica moved to sit beside Rory to make some room. Sarah at beside Erica at the end of their booth seat, and Ethan started anew on the one across from them. Sky sat beside him.

They all greeted each other quietly and less animatedly than they usually do, as if they at the funeral that very moment.

The last one to come was Benny, who came a little after Sky did. Everyone greeted him with a warm smile, to which he just promptly ignored. Sky made some room at the end of the booth, and he squeezed in.

"Hey," she whispered, hoping to get something; _anything._

Benny looked at her wide blue eyes, and forced a smile.

"Hey," he said quietly, breaking eye contact. Even if Sky knew how scripted the greeting was, she decided to take it; she would take anything at this point.

"So why are we here?" Rory said, bubbly as always. "We're going to plan our next moves against Mark, right? I thought of some great ideas, including a space unicorn and—"

"Rory, what did I tell you about ideas involving space unicorns?" Ethan said with a roll of his eyes. "They are literally unrealistic ideas."

Rory frowned. "I thought that was about Santa—"

Ethan groaned. "Okay, Rory, how about this; no rules involving...any mythical creatures."

"Santa isn't a mythical—"

Erica nudged him softly, and Rory promptly shut up. Sky giggled softly, chewing her breakfast sandwich quietly. Sarah sighed.

"We are, however, going to talk about Mark." Everyone looked slightly sullen at the name, especially Sky. "We need to strategize some sort of plan."

"I don't know what's there to strategize," Sky said sadly. "I don't know where he is. I don't even know if he has — _had_ , sorry — a house. I don't know anything we can use against him, since he is so––"

Sky stopped.

 _Powerful._ That word may do it. _Diabolical. Smart. Clever._

"Evil." She finished off in the end. "He's just so fucking evil."

Everyone remained silent. Ethan cleared his throat and looked over Sky's shoulder and noticed how Benny remained silent. He frowned.

"I've been meaning to ask you, B," Benny looked up at him, and Ethan sighed. "What are you going to do about your living situation?"

His breath hitched, but he tried to play it cool.

"What about my living situation?" he asked dumbly.

Ethan sighed. "No one's paying for your house. I know you said it was a part of your family inheritance, but there is still some things you need to pay off."

Benny shook his head. "I'm fine."

"You can stay with me, Benny," Ethan offered. "You know my family thinks your family too, and if you reall—"

"I told you, I'm fine," Benny said sternly. Sky looked at him with concerned eyes.

"Benny, if you're not going to stay with Ethan, you can stay with me! I mean, my parents won't mind. You are—"

"I bought the damn house, okay?" Benny snapped, catching the attention of not only fellow people around them, but of his friends. "I bought the fucking house."

Silence.

"Y-You bought the house?" Erica stuttered; not waiting for a response, she added, "You aren't ready to buy your own house."

Benny shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

"I'm eighteen, an almost-graduate, I'm old enough to get a job, and I have a lot of free time," Benny said nonchalantly. "I don't see how I'm not ready."

Ethan and Sky exchanged looks, and Ethan shook his head.

"No, Benny, you can't just buy a house. There is so much to pay off; you'll have to get a few jobs. And then with school—"

"I'll drop out of school if I have to." Sky's eyes widened.

"D-Drop out?" she asked. "B-Benny, you can't drop out of school just to keep your stupid house in your family—"

"Stupid?"

Sky winced; maybe not the best choice in words.

"I-I didn't mean 'stupid' as in—"

Benny's glare cut her off. "This is my family house you're talking about. This is the house that my grandma lived in for God knows how many years. I am going to keep the damn house, and you guys can't change my mind."

More silence crept in, and everyone watched as Benny drank his coffee. Sky looked surprised, but was determined to figure out some sort of compromise.

"Fine, Benny, if that's what you want, then have it your way." As soon as the words came out of Sky's mouth, Sarah's eyes widened.

"Sky?!" she exclaimed. Sky shrugged.

"It's your life, and you have every right to do what you want to." Benny looked at her suspiciously.

"There's more to this, isn't there." His voice was flat, and the statement was more of an accusation than a question.

Sky nodded. "Well of course since _I'm_ part of your life, I will obviously help you do whatever you need to."

"Sky…," he groaned, leaning back in his chair. Sky nodded restlessly.

"I'm not going to leave you alone; especially at this kind of time. You are the father of _our_ child, Benny. I'll help you financially _and_ mentally. We can even split the pay and move in together––"

Benny turned to face Sky, who was still to the right of him.

"Sky, you're seventeen; you're not going to give up your life for a pathetic mess of a person—"

" _STOP SAYING THAT!"_ Sky screamed.

Ethan, Sarah, Erica and Rory remained quiet throughout the spellmasters' fight. Benny's eyes were brimming with tears, and Sky was trying her best to keep it together.

"You aren't pathetic, Benny." Sky's voice was barely a scratchy whisper. "You're not anything that you probably think you are. You aren't a fucking _monster._ You're...going through a rough time right now. All you need is a little help."

Rory's quiet voice spoke up. "Maybe you need to go see a therapist, Benny."

Everyone fell quiet at the words. Benny, clearly furious, stood up and grabbed his coffee by the hand. He faced the end of the booth and got up, grabbing his bag and making his way out. Everyone but Sky remained seated; she shot up and grabbed him by the wrist.

"Benny, please don't go." Sky's voice sounded like a whiny child. "We can work things out, I promise; you just need a little time. Rory's right; you need to talk to someone right now. You know how I got better with that kind of treatment, and maybe that's what you need—"

"What I don't need is your fucking pity," Benny growled out, and shrugged her off, storming out of the cafe and out onto the streets, tears beading in his eyes.

Sky was left standing in the middle of Lotta Latte, and as she was surrounded by all her friends in a tight hug, only one thought stuck out amongst the rest: _'What now?'_

* * *

 **a/n- well that was something, wasn't it? yeah? yeah.**

 **anyway, i hope you are exciting! look forward to a new chapter next week...? or two...? who knows :P**

 **drop a review and what not, and thanks for reading! peace out mon ami's :P**

 _ **keep on keeping onnnnnnnnn**_


	2. The Funeral

**a/n- wassup? it be tobn here with a new chapter of ff! (no, not fanfiction you fool. friends forever).**

 **how are you? it has literally been a few hours since i've posted something on this site. wow, is this 2015 all over again? lol, of course not — you're lucky that i just pre-wrote some chapters beforehand. either way, you're lucky that i have been updating quite frequently. disclaimer: don't expect this to last; _especially_ this story. sure, i know it has been a week since the last chapter, but that does _not_ mean i am updating weekly. i just happen to have chapters ready. okay? okay. **

**anyway, did you think that the last chapter was sad? well, you haven't met this chapter. this chapter is not nice. this chapter is actually quite sad. so since i had to deal with that when i wrote it, you can deal with it now :D**

 **shoutouts to...**

 **bennyweirlover17- well i hope you're not speechless yet because then you won't be able to say anything about this chapter, eh, eh? that was a bad joke :P anyway, i appreciate all the love! thank you for enjoying the story. and i wish i could give benny a hug too, but stuff is not going to go any better for him, so maybe save the hug for this one :') thanks for the review! :D**

 **mbav fan66- *frantically walks down the aisle with trumpets in the air because hey, i feel like you'd be introducing me as well* :P and i hope you were at least a little bit surprised, because you definitely caught on a few things, so i am surprised that you were...surprised :P but things could only go up from here, right? of course not, this is going to be a trainwreck of angst. luckily, i know how it ends, so it should be alright...yeah, let's leave it at that. thanks for the review as always, fanfic buddy!**

 **anyway, that's that! i hope you enjoy reading below the line! i worked real hard on this one, mainly through itty bitty tears :P**

 **disclaimer: *insert disclaimer from previous chapter that went on and on about how i _still_ don't own mbav or its characters, but how i'd very much like to so i can make a season three that'd blow your damn minds***

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

Friends Forever: Chapter 2: The Funeral

* * *

The sky is dark and cloudy on the day of Evelyn's funeral. Benny sat on the edge of his bed, facing the window beside it.

It was just like Mark's funeral now that Benny thought of it. It was a dark, cliched atmosphere, with every funeral-story coming to life. The sky was as dark as death itself, and it made Benny sick; his grandma doesn't deserve this.

 _Didn't._ Benny had to remind himself of that; she was just a memory now.

He choked on his own thoughts — they made him sick. He focused his sights on what was happening outside the window, watching the rain fall on the sidewalk below. People he knew were walking down the street, wearing black clothes. They were huddled in a group, walking under a single black umbrella.

' _You have to go down there,'_ Benny's conscience said. _'You'll have to go down there eventually.'_

Benny still sat there, watching the scene unfold outside his window. He recognized his Ethan's mop of hair, and he recognized the same black dress that Erica once for Mark's funeral.

He turned away when he saw her long, blonde hair; he couldn't bare to see her face when she realized he wasn't going.

' _But you are going, aren't you?'_ his conscience said. _'You have to go. It's your grandma.'_

Benny fought back saying 'was' as he fiddled with the black tie on his chest. He didn't know why he was wearing it. He didn't want to go to begin with.

' _Maybe you know,'_ he thought. _'Maybe you know that you want to go. Maybe you know you have to go.'_

Maybe he did. He wrote a eulogy, he arranged the ceremony, sent the invites — even if they were just to his friends and some local earth priestesses that she was friends with — and he called the funeral service to begin with.

His inner battle between his morality and his rationality echoed in his brain, each one shooting commands across his mind.

"Fine," he said aloud, and the voices stopped abruptly. "Fine."

* * *

Ethan, Sarah, Rory, Erica, and Sky gathered in the back of the old chapel; the place where Mark's funeral was.

Sky passed by his tomb, actually. She walked past it while talking to some of Evelyn's friends. The fact that it was still there made her sick; he wasn't dead. He shouldn't be remembered. He—

"Sky?" Ethan's voice caught her attention. She turned around, and faced Ethan, who was wearing a black blazer and a white dress shirt. His tie lifted slowly with every breath.

"Is it starting?" she asked quietly, tugging the end of her black dress. "The funeral, I mean."

"No," Ethan answered. He looked around quietly, and added, "Benny's not here yet."

Sky sighed. "I don't think he's coming."

Ethan dug his hands in his pockets. His head fell back with a small groan. Sky shook her head, trying to calm him down.

"If he doesn't want to come, he doesn't have to," she said reassuringly. "He already paid for the funeral arrangements, and went through quite a bit. And after what happened at Lotta Latte…"

"Guys?" Rory's voice cut her off, and the two turned around to see the blond vampire jogging towards them. "Did you see Benny?"

Ethan sighed, shaking his head. Sky did the same.

"Really? Wasn't he talking to some people in the front?" Rory prompts. "Rings any bells? I need his permission if I want to do a cool musical number to brighten the whole atmosphere up."

Ethan and Sky exchanged looks. Ethan seemed to get the message, as he pat Rory on the back and ushered him away from Sky.

"Rory, why don't you and I go set up some snacks for the guests?" Sky heard from Ethan. She saw Rory's shoulders perk up, and she smiled softly before dodging past people to get to the front of the chapel.

When she was making the turn around the chapel, she bumped into two familiar faces.

"Sky?" Erica said, Sarah by her side. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be in the back, you know, consoling people?"

Sky bit her lip, anxious to escape and go to the front "I'm not sure people are here because they are genuinely sad, to be honest. I think they just went out of respect."

"Don't say that!" Sarah said, leading Erica and Sky to the front of the chapel. "Evelyn was a very respected person amongst the earth priestesses community."

"I know that," Sky said, trying to rephrase her sentence. "I just feel like none of them really _knew_ Evelyn as much as we did."

"No one did, Sky," Erica said sadly, and then the three girls looked up to see the black hearse carrying the casket.

"At least this casket has a body this time," Sky said darkly, and Sarah rubbed Sky's shoulder reassuringly.

"Chin up, Sky," Sarah said quietly. "Evelyn wouldn't want you to be this way."

Sky said nothing. Something in particular caught her eye, and she stared ahead, nearly transfixed. Erica followed her glance and looked at Sky.

Benny was there at the door of the hearse, talking to someone — one of the funeral service people, Sky assumed — with his hands in his pockets. He wore a black blazer over a black-collar shirt, and a skinny grey tie.

"I didn't think Benny was coming," Sarah whispered quietly. They wordlessly watched Benny say goodbye to the person, then made his to the staircase leading up to the entrance.

As he went up, he caught sight of Sky staring at him in some transfixed stupor, and Sky met his eyes.

He stood on the staircase for what seemed like an eternity, and silently mouthed "hey" under his breath. Sky fought back saying anything, but she nodded, as if saying the words as well.

Their eyes lingered for a while before Benny shook his head quietly, making his way into the chapel.

Sky could hear the footsteps of Rory and Ethan, but didn't turn around to face them. Instead, she stared at the staircase, as if the ghost of Benny's presence still lingered on the steps.

The chapel bells rang, and Ethan said, "Let's go."

Sky tentatively looked down and nodded, silently walking up the steps and going into the chapel behind of her friends.

* * *

Everyone took their seats. The service was going to start in a few minutes, but as everyone went to sit down, Benny spotted Sky's parents in the back of the chapel.

They were talking amongst themselves quietly, and Benny took a breath; he had to talk to them eventually.

He mustered up the courage to walk up to the couple, and when he did, he immediately saw their eyes staring right at them.

"Hello, Mr. Bryans. Mrs. Bryans," he said quietly. "Um...thanks for coming. It really means a lot, and it must mean a lot to Evel—"

Benny couldn't bring himself to say her name. Luckily, Mr. Bryans swept in with a small pat on the back.

"Of course we'd be here, Benny. Evelyn was a big part of our daughter's life. And our daughter is a big part of your life, and you are practically family now."

Benny looked down, suddenly nervous. "A-Actually, sir, that's what I'd like to talk to you about. I don't know if Sky already said this, b-but I-I—"

"Benny, dear, we know Sky's pregnant," Mrs. Bryans cut in. "We know what happened."

Benny bit back tears. His hand was shaking in his pockets, and he swallowed thickly.

"I-I'm really sorry," Benny stuttered. "I understand if you no longer approve of me, but all I ask is for you not to take Sky away…"

The thought almost made him sick. Mrs. Bryans' face softened, and she pulled Benny into a tight hug.

"No, Benny, of course not," she said, rubbing the back of his head. Benny's walls broke down for the umpeenth time in the week, and he hugged her back.

When he pulled back, he looked at Sky's dad shyly.

"I-I promise to take care of her, sir. I know that dads can be really tough...I mean, I don't know personally, but I've watched movies and what not. I know she's your daughter, and I was obviously terrible to her—"

"Now don't say that, Benny," her dad said. "You have been nothing but so kind to our daughter. She was in a dark place we couldn't really get her out of before you. As I said before, you are always welcome in our family; you did something we couldn't, and that was saving her."

Benny fought back tears, and Mrs. Bryans rubbed Benny's shoulder.

"Again, we're really sorry, Benny," she whispered. "I know it isn't exactly the thing you want to hear right now, as everyone has probably said it, but if you need someone to talk to, we are here."

Benny nodded wordlessly. Mr. Bryans forced a smile.

"Well, we're going to take our seats." He paused, and add, "We'll see you later, _son._ "

The word hit Benny in the stomach. He felt nearly all the wind sucked out of him, and he struggled to form words. He stared at the two, and Mr. Bryans frowned.

"Benny?" he asked. "You alright?"

Benny clenched his teeth. _'Get a hold of yourself.'_

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "Just a bit...surprised, that's all."

"Benny, did we say something wrong?" Mrs. Bryans blue eyes held concern. Benny shook his head, backing away slowly.

"N-No, it's not you. I'm just being a bit stupid, that's all," Benny said.

Sky's parents said nothing. Benny cleared his throat.

"Well, thanks again, Mr and Mrs. Bryans," Benny mumbled. "I'll see you after the ceremony, I guess."

Without waiting for a response, Benny made a beeline to the front seats. The couple exchanged confused looks.

Secretly from afar, Sky stood there, taking in what had just unfolded in front of her. She glanced at her parents and was debating whether to smile or frown; he was talking with her parents, which was good, and they seemed to be understanding.

Yet something about their conversation felt off.

The bells rang again, and Sky looked towards the front of the chapel; the service was starting.

* * *

"She was a friend."

"She was a caregiver."

"She was family."

"She was magical."

"She was our mentor."

 _Was  
_ _Was  
_ _Was  
_ _Was  
_ _Was._

Benny watched quietly as all his friends said their eulogies to the crowd that gathered here today. Benny held his speech in his hands, nervously folding the edges of the cue-cards. The service had started an hour ago, and Benny was the last one to speak.

Erica's speech went first. Benny was unable to focus throughout the whole thing, but he caught some of her speech.

"She just knew what I was going through," she had said. "Evelyn was basically one of my best friends. There was never something she would say no to, unless it was something about Benny's magic."

The group of earth priestesses laughed. Sky, who sat beside him, looked at Benny. He remembered that it was best to crack a smile to somewhat please her — wasn't that something boyfriends should do? — but he knew it didn't work.

Rory said she was a caregiver. "Evelyn looked after us as if we were her own. She knew what we liked, what we disliked, and she treated us like—"

"Family." Ethan's eulogy echoed in his mind. "She treated us like we were a part of her family. She took care of us, and she loved us dearly."

Benny fought back tears when he heard Ethan's speech. It took everything he had to not cry.

"She was filled with this indescribable magic — both literally and figuratively." Sarah said after Ethan's speech. "There was just this spark of magic in her that made everything interesting. She could practically perform miracles."

Benny was vaguely listening. His mind was on the speech he had to give after all his friends, but he didn't know if he could.

' _You can leave,'_ his mind said. _'No one would judge you if you did. They know you're grieving. Everyone grieves in their own way after all. Just go. '_

He was going to leave, he really was; his feet were rooted on the ground, and he was going to stand up.

Then Sky said her speech.

"Evelyn and I...our relationship was kind of complicated," Sky said quietly. Benny couldn't move.

"I mean, she had every right to feel weirded out by my presence — I was dating her only grandson, and the only family she had left. It was hard to see him with someone else that wasn't her, as it was just the two of them for so long."

Benny bit his lip. He remembered a conversation with Evelyn like that once - a conversation about Sky.

" _So you met her in a janitor's closet,"_ she had told him the day after they became friends. _"I'm not gonna lie, Benjamin - I don't want you getting too attached."_

" _Why?"_ his younger self asked. He remembered his grandma sigh, looking down.

" _Well...she seems really special. I don't know how to deal with teenage relationships."_

He knew the real reason now; it wasn't to tease him, but it was more of a fear. A fear of giving her only grandson away.

"But she taught me more about him and his world," Sky said, her eyes meeting his. "She taught me despite her knowing she'd have to give him away to me eventually. Most parents would probably stay in denial for a while — the denial of giving their child away. Evelyn, however...she taught me that it's okay not to be okay. From the day I met her, I knew she was going to teach me great things."

Benny watched the eulogy end, and the priest replace Sky at the podium.

"We now have our last eulogy from Evelyn's grandson, Benjamin."

All eyes were on him. Sky gave him a pat on the back, and Benny just braced himself; he was about to do the hardest thing he's ever had to do.

Every step up towards the coffin felt like a mile. His eyes were already brimming with tears when he saw the closed casket.

He made his way to the podium and put his crumpled cue-cards on the wooden surface.

When he looked up, he saw the faces of people waiting for something. _Anything._

"I-I just wanted to say thank you all for coming." Benny hated himself for the stutter, but he carried on. "To be honest, it was really hard for me to arrange all of this — the funeral, the invites, what kind of casket for my grandma…"

He sighed. "I knew she wouldn't live forever — no one does — but I...I didn't expect it to be like this."

It was a harsh lie; some people in the audience knew that Evelyn was somewhat connected with the Vampire Council, but to others, it was just a profound mark. Still, he felt as if he was insulting some of his best friends.

Too late to take it back. "My grandma w-was—"

Benny choked on the words. He couldn't finish it. His tongue seemed too big for his mouth, and he felt heat rushing to his face.

The audience was staring at him, almost in some kind of pity. His friends' eyes held sympathy, but Sky's, for some reason, didn't.

" _You're okay,"_ she mouthed quietly. Benny caught her words, and he meekly nodded.

"My grandma was the only family I had left," he said, and his voice was evidently raspy through the microphone. "She was the one I would wake up to every morning, and she was the last one I'd say goodnight to."

His hand was shaking, but he dug it deep in his pocket to keep it from being visible.

"It was weird at first - telling everyone you lived with your grandma wasn't the best way to start your 'all-star rep'." The last part was in air quotations and was meant to be a joke; luckily, people laughed, though Benny wasn't sure if it was a genuine laugh or not.

"But eventually, I just grew accustomed to my living situation. She would play loud Mexican music on every 'Taco Thursday', she would remind me what to pack for my weekly sleepovers at Ethan's house, and she always had the right words to say whenever I became frustrated about how girls function."

Sky beamed, and Benny caught glimpse of her pearly teeth. He managed a forced smile.

"It's weird to say that she's gone, because it feels like she's still here." Benny watched the blurred faces of the audience soften, and he can barely register that the door is opening.

"I guess she will always be here," he said, trying not to stutter; the end was near, he just had to get through a bit more. "It's a bit cliched to say, but she will always be there in my heart and in my mind. Her words will always echo in my head, and her presence…"

Benny's eyes wandered to the back of the chapel when he saw _him._

Black tuxedo. Grey dress shirt. Blood-red tie. Gelled, brown hair. Piercing blue eyes.

He was _there._ He was staring at him, and all the faces that were once blurred together suddenly disappeared.

Now it was just them.

"H-Her presence will a-always be i-in my h-heart—" Benny tried again, his words growing quieter. He watched his mouth curve into a smile.

" _Growing speechless, brother?"_ His British voice echoed the church. Benny found himself backing up slowly, his eyes dilating with fear.

Sky — _was that Sky? —_ was the first to stand.

" _Hey, David may have not been my dad, but he wasn't yours either. Still, do you think I'd miss our grandmother's funeral?"_

One bitter laugh, and that's all it took.

Benny's breathing picked up, and he felt his heart race. His vision was blurring together, voices and faces swimming in front of him.

Sky quickly turned around to see what Benny was looking at.

To his avail, _he was gone._

Benny wasn't having any of it; he stumbled away from the podium in attempts of running down the stairs to go after him, but he found himself falling. Instinctively, he placed a hand on the edge of the table holding Evelyn's closed casket, brushing against the wooden surface, and that's when he saw it.

White. Everything was white. It wasn't an immediate reaction, but he felt it pulling himself into it slowly.

" _Benny?"_

It was Sky. Her hand went to his shoulder, but as soon as he made contact with both her and the casket, the white void finally pulled him in and—

 _*flash*_

 _a spark amongst shelves and shelves of books. he instinctively goes to touch it, and when his hand makes contact with the spark, a familiar face was pulled into view._

 _*flash*_

" _they're still alive, benny. i know it sounds crazy and so sudden, but they are alive somewhere. train harder. use your powers to your advantage rather than letting them destroy you. fight for dominance of yourself; don't ever let your powers dominate who you are. you control them, and it's never the other way around."_

 _silence._

" _i miss you dearly, benjamin. this might be the last time i could say it. i was worried that you'd break again, but know that even if my time has come, yours has not."_

 _tears._

" _so go out there and fight."_

 _*flash*_

 _two figures, hidden by shadows, at the doorstep; they haven't been here for ages._

 _but they were here now, and they were going to take back what was their's._

 _*flash*_

Benny sucked in a huge breath, and the first thing he saw was Sky's big, blue eyes.

"Hey now, Benny, it's okay." He was hyperventilating and breaking into a cold sweat. Darkness rimmed his vision.

"Benny, hey, it's okay. Benny, please ca _lm down. You're fine. There's enough room for you to breathe. Just take a big breath and—"_

He skipped a breath, and he felt himself go limp in his girlfriend's arms, a black void swallowing up his vision.

* * *

"It's nearly been a day," Sky said anxiously, pacing the floor. "He should've been up by now. Usually it would take three or four hours, but now—"

"Sky, if you keep pacing up and down like that, I think you'll make my brain explode," Erica said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Sarah nudged her.

"What Erica is trying to say is that you shouldn't worry too much," Sarah said, giving Erica a stern glance before facing Sky again. "You know what Evelyn said; the visions are just wearing him out."

Sky felt bile rising in her throat - her anxiety mixed with pregnancy was not a combination she enjoyed - but she swallowed it down.

"But how much longer until he wears out completely?!" Sky exclaimed wearily. "Sarah, she said he can di—"

Sky stopped talking, her words caught in her throat. She couldn't bare to say the word. Ethan shook his head.

"Don't talk about that," Ethan said, instinctively looking at Benny, who has been passed out on the couch for nearly a day. "You honestly can't think Benny would die. Even if he was, we'd fix it by now...right?"

No one said anything. Rory snuck a glance at the spellmaster, and saw his hand twitch. A loud groan escaped his lips, and Rory looked up at his friends.

"I think he's waking up," he said, and Sky immediately went to Benny's side, kneeling beside the couch. She held Benny's hand.

"Benny? Hey, it's me." Everyone watched Benny's hand tremble in Sky's grasp. "Wake up, Benny. You need to—"

He screamed. Everyone jumped, including Sky, who reeled back as if her hand was grazing a flame.

Benny shot up, nearly crashing into Sky's head. He broke into a cold sweat, his eyes dilating in fear. Sky tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, Benny. Nothing is going to hurt you here." Benny managed to lock eyes with her, despite his cries. She held the stare and added, "You're at home."

Benny's breathing started to slow down, and he looked at his friends, who were all gathered around the couch. Ethan and Sarah was on the each end of the couch, and Rory and Erica were hovering from behind it. Sky was right beside him.

"What…" Benny took a breath to mask his nerves. "What happened?"

"You passed out," Ethan said quietly. "You were almost finished your eulogy for Evelyn, then you...I don't know why you passed out, actually."

Benny couldn't bring himself to tell them.

"How long was I out?" he asked, looking at Sky - for some reason, he couldn't look at anyone else.

"Nearly twenty hours now," Erica supplied. "It's Monday morning; ten o'clock."

"I've been out since two o'clock...yesterday?" Benny asked incredulously. Rory nodded.

"You were out like a light," Rory added. "Passed out right in front of everyone. They stopped the service after that—"

Erica elbowed Rory in the chest lightly, and he winced. Benny's eyes fell to the ground and he sighed.

"God, I'm such a disappoint," he groaned. "I was supposed to be strong. I was supposed to show them that I was okay."

"You don't have to be okay, B. Your grandma just died. Everyone understood," Ethan said, and paused before adding, "Plus, we all thought it would've been a bit worse."

Benny rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't even want to know what will happen to me if this keeps happening…"

Sky looked down. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

Benny looked up, his fingers beginning to shake.

' _She knows,'_ he thought anxiously. _'She must know. She thinks there's something wrong with me. She—'_

"What happened back there?" Sky's whispered words made Benny a little less worried. "Did you have a vision?"

Benny said nothing. Sarah sighed.

"You have to tell us, Benny," Sarah said. "We're your friends. We aren't some random strangers trying to force you to confide in us. We stick together, remember?"

"I really don't want to talk about it," Benny said at last. "I mean, I want to. I really want to, actually. But if I'm going to tell you anything, I need to understand it first."

No one talked. Ethan cleared his throat loudly to break the silence.

"You saw something." Benny stared at him. Ethan feebly added, "Like, physically. You saw something in the back of the room. I saw you stare at the chapel doors."

Benny sucked in a shaky breath. "I-I saw Mark."

Suddenly, voices bounced all over the room. Everyone was frantically exchanging words of shock, when Sky rose her hands up quickly.

"Everyone _shut up!_ " she exclaimed. Their words died down. Sky faced Benny again.

"You saw Mark?" Benny nodded. Sky shook her head.

"That can't be possible. I mean, I knew you saw something, but when I turned around, there was nothing there."

"I-I saw him," he said, his voice aching with desperation. "I saw h-him. He was wearing a black blazer, and a red tie."

"Well that can't be Mark," Erica objected. "I saw Mr. Frontier, the husband of some earth priestess, wearing a black blazer and a red tie."

"Maybe it was him you saw and not Mark," Rory added. Benny heart nearly stopped.

"It was definitely him," Benny repeated. "He had those damn blue eyes, and he was talking to me, and _—"_

"Mr. Frontier has blue eyes," Sarah interrupted. "It would be impossible for someone to talk to you without us hearing it; especially the vamps."

Sky looked at Benny with wide, sad eyes. "Are you sure you weren't just hallucinating it? I know how hard this has been on you, and Mark has definitely not been helping. Maybe it was just a figment of your imagination."

Benny's eyes darted towards her with an indescribable fire.

"Do any of you believe me?!" he fumed. Ethan sighed.

"Now Benny, you know that isn't the case." Ethan pressed his thumbs together anxiously. "It's just that doesn't it seem odd to you? That you've been imagining Mark's presence?"

"Imagining?!" Benny echoed furiously. Sarah bit her lip.

"Benny, calm down _—_ "

"Calm down?!" Benny roared, nearly storming on his feet. "You can't just go into _my_ fucking house and tell me to calm the fuck down!"

"Benny, please," Sky sputtered out. "Let's just try and talk this out."

"And you! You're worst of all!" Benny yelled, pointing at Sky accusingly. "I thought you would always be with me! You are the mother of our child, and yet you wouldn't even stick by me on this one! Tell me, Sky, it isn't impossible, right?!"

Sky said nothing. Her eyes were brimming with tears, her heart racing. She knew it wasn't his fault _—_ he was grieving, after all. Despite this, she just couldn't understand.

"You know what?!" Benny growled. "Get the fuck out of my house! I said it! If you don't want to believe me, you don't have to; as long as you do it out of my face!"

Sky reeled back at his sudden outburst, and stormed out. Everyone murmured their goodbyes, and left Benny to cry on his couch alone.

* * *

She didn't want to, but she came back to his house later that night. She knew that it was probably a bad idea, but she couldn't get their recent exchange of words out of her head.

Sky took a breath, and twisted the doorknob. To her surprise, the door opened with ease, and she walked in slowly.

The first thing she stepped on was shards of green, broken glass. She yelped and jumped back, quickly hopping over each piece.

"What the hell…," she murmured, before hearing a crash from the kitchen. She jumped, and dashed towards the noise.

"Benny?" she asked tentatively, peeking into the kitchen.

Benny stood there in front of a fallen coffee machine, holding the neck of a beer bottle in his left hand. Sky frowned, slowly walking up to him.

"Benny…?" she repeated more slowly. "Are you alright?"

Benny finally looked up at Sky, and she was met with dazed eyes and messy hair. He stumbled towards her, and she instinctively held her hands out to catch him.

"I…," He frowned, a bit confused. "I thought I tol' you to go."

His words were slurred together in a string of syllables, and his breath reeked of alcohol _—_ that would explain the broken glass at the start.

"Are you drunk?" Sky asked in a mix of confusion and shock.

"Found gran'ma's wine cabinet," he replied. "Had a few. S'fine."

"Benny, you're wasted," Sky croaked. She grabbed his arm slowly. "Let's go to the living room, okay? You need to lie down."

Benny pulled Sky by the waist, their faces touching.

"I wanna fuck you," he mumbled. Sky leered back.

"B-Benny, you're drunk." She couldn't trust himself to bigger words.

She lead Benny to the living room, holding him up as he staggered through the beer bottles and glasses scattered across his floor.

"You hate me, don't you," Benny murmured. "You fucking hate me. You won't even fucking fuck me."

"Benny," Sky warned, his string of nonsense sentences echoing the room. He shook his head.

"Fuck you, don't lie," he muttered. "Everyone fucking hates me. I'm a stupid orphan like Anna or whoever it was with red fucking hair."

Benny swearing like this was something that Sky never saw before. She laid Benny on the couch, slowly placing his head on the pillow. Benny placed his hand on his forehead and let out a groan.

"I fucking hate everything," he slurred. "My grandma is dead, and I'm the target of a my half brother. What the hell even is my life?"

Sky rubbed his shoulder, tears threatening to fall. "Benny, don't say that."

"You know I talked to your parents yesterday?" Benny continued his drunk rant. "They are probably disgusted with the idiot who got their daughter pregnant."

"Benny, please don't say that," Sky said with a scratchy voice. "You know what? Go to sleep. Get some rest, and try not to remember anything tomorrow."

Benny was one step ahead of her — his eyes were drooping and his jaw slackened.

"You have ev'ry right to leave me," he mumbled before falling asleep. "I'm a fucking mess."

Sky couldn't say anything else, and Benny finally passed out.

After throwing up for ten minutes, Sky returned, tears of exhaustion leaking from her eyes. She curled up on the couch beside Benny, and cried into his shoulder until she finally fell asleep.

* * *

Late Tuesday morning, Benny woke up with a headache and was greeted with a cascade of flashing lights.

He groaned, rubbing his head, and stood up slowly. He struggled to gain balance, and the floor blurred into a flat surface of colours. He tripped on a few empty beer bottles and staggered towards the kitchen.

Sky — complete with one of Benny's sweaters and messy hair — was preparing coffee out of a slightly cracked coffee machine. His grunt makes her turn around and frown.

"Good morning," she said quietly.

"Morning," he said gruffly, making his way to the cabinet and pulling out a capsule of Advil. He took three, and swallowed them dryly. Sky winced.

"Do you ever plan on talking to me?" Sky said, cutting straight to the point.

"Not now, Sky," Benny moaned, but his girlfriend was having none of it.

"You were blackout drunk last night, Benny!" she exclaimed furiously. "You honestly believe that I could let that go?"

"It was one time for God's sake, it won't happen again," Benny grumbled. "You aren't my mom, Sky, you don't have to worry about me."

"I'm your girlfriend, Benny, and more importantly, your best friend," she whined, clearly hurt. She feebly added, "I really think you need help."

"What are you trying to say?" Benny said, staring her down.

"I think you need professional help," Sky said loudly. "You need to see someone, Benny. You refuse to talk to me, or anyone else, so I really have no choice."

"Of course you don't have a choice!" Benny snapped. "You can't make decisions for me. I can take care of myself."

"Benny hear me out, please," Sky said. "There's this new therapist in town; her name is Ms. Vee. I've read her psychology papers in class; she really knows what she is talking about. I'll book an appointment for tomorrow, I'm sure she will accommodate—"

"Sky, you can't make decisions for me, alright?!" Benny yelled. "I am my own person. I can make my own decisions."

"Your decisions haven't been the best so far, Benny," Sky retorted. "You bought a house without asking for any help — do you know how much that will cost you?! You pass out at the funeral service and refuse to tell us what actually happened, and you get drunk off your ass?!"

Benny closed his eyes. "Maybe you should leave."

Sky nearly exploded. "This isn't how you solve problems, Benny! You can't just keep running away from them!"

"Leave, Sky!" he snapped.

"Fine!" Sky screamed, storming out of the kitchen and heading to the door, kicking broken glass out of her way. "Call me again when you decide to man up for a minute!"

Benny was lost for words when the door slammed closed; _he really liked that sweater._

* * *

 **a/n- welp that was something, wasn't it? needless to say, i hope you enjoyed it a lot :)**

 **what will happen? find out soon-but-not-as-soon-as-next-week-depending-on-what's-happening-in-my-life!**

 **drop a review if you liked it if you like! i'll see you all next time ;)**

 _ **Panatilihin sa pagsuno sa!**_

 ***by now you should know what this means so i'm not even going to say it anymore: GOOGLE IT :P it's in Tagalog btw. feel free to request a language — for all my wonderfully diverse audience ^-^**


	3. Problematic Descendants

**a/n- wassup? it be tobn here with a new chapter of friends forever!**

 **yes, now that the valentine's day hype has died down, i have decided that it is time to just unwind and post a filler chapter of this story. warning that this is less action and more cute, with a dash of angst here and there. *pauses* what the heck of course there's lots of angst who am i kidding this is the friends series :P**

 **but yes! after the most depressing chapter ever, we have moved ahead a few days after the funeral — i think even a week? — to the beginning of school after spring break. about time, huh? we will see how everyone is recovering after all of that angsty crap :)**

 **shoutouts to...**

 **bennyweirlover17- i know i want benny to be happy too! i have such a terrible backstory for his character the way i am portraying him here (this whole series might as well be a bloody au because my ooc characters are not even excusable anymore) but it must be done for the sake of the drama. time will tell if all of this turns up, which it probably will *crosses fingers* thanks for the review!**

 **mbav fan66- i have been to one funeral in my life as well, which was sad enough, so i don't really blame benny either. and i could use a hint or two from the whole "don't shut people out" advice, if you know where i am going at *smiles sadly* but all is going to be good. i don't exactly know what you mean by _the_ evil benny, but i might...? pm me that explanation pls :P and you can do that! pls don't spank me with lightening *shies away* :P anyway thank you so much for your review as always ^-^**

 **and with that, let's begin this shitstorm of plot holes and unnecessary drama, shall we?**

 **disclaimer: still don't own mbav or its characters. just the plot [holes] and the oc's, primarily sky.**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

Friends Forever: Chapter 3: Problematic Descendants

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Sky asked, circling around slowly in front of the mirror. Her mom, spellbook in hand, nodded.

"Of course it will," she reassured. "We'll do it to your outfit now as a tester, then we'll make sure all your clothes will display a baby-bump free body."

Sky blushed. "Thanks, mom."

"You'll be fine, honey," her dad said. "Anything your mom spells is usually right. She fuels on your trust, after all."

Her mom laughed as Sky stepped away from the mirror. She started packing her bag and looked at her parents.

"Say, how are you guys so chill about this?" she asks. "You guys seem so prepared for everything and haven't really punished me yet."

"Oh, your punishment is literally no sex and a whole lot of responsibility," her dad joked, and her mom nudged him when she saw Sky's cheeks go red.

"Honey, we would never punish you for something so wonderful," her mom said cheerfully. "We care about you so much. "

"You still didn't answer my question," Sky said with a smug smile. Her parents exchanged looks and Sky's mom rubbed the back of her neck.

"Near the end of high school, I met your dad," she explained. "We were a pretty wild couple — everyone knew that. One thing led to another and...I was pregnant in the second semester of my senior year."

Sky's eyes widened. "Oh...my god…"

Her dad bit his lip, cheeks flushed red. "By this point, we knew that we would spend our lives together, and we knew about each other's supernatural history. This led to me finding the spell that we used today."

It remained silent for a while and Sky cleared her throat.

"I'll admit that this is a bit too much information for eight in the morning," she says slowly, "but I appreciate having someone who knows what it's like."

"Hey, as long as our future grandchild waits a bit before settling down, we are all good," her dad said. Sky rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, dad," Sky giggled, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Anyway, I should probably go. I'm walking with Ethan to school."

Her parents looked at each other nervously. Sky's smile faltered.

"What?" she asked hesitantly. Sky's mom sighed.

"I meant to ask about Benny's...living situation," she said, choosing her words carefully. "We understand that if he has nowhere to stay, he can live with us for the time being."

Sky looked down, almost ashamed.

"He's buying the house," she explained. Her dad's eyes widened.

"Buying the house?" he echoed. "He's a bit too young for that, don't you think? Not to mention that is a big responsibility, and he is already part of one."

Sky nodded. "I know. I'm trying to come up with some compromise, but…"

She trailed off, and her parents frowned.

"What is it, Sky?" her mom asked. Sky took a deep breath.

"If this ends with me...moving in with Benny," she started, "will you guys accept it?"

Silence filled the household. Sky's breath was caught in her throat, and her parents exchanged sombre looks.

"The cherry on the cake, wouldn't it?" her mom said sadly.

Sky stiffened. "I'm sorry for mentioning it, mom. I'll try and find some other way, I promise, but I just need you to understand—"

"I wouldn't mind," her dad interrupted, and Sky and her mom stared at him. He shrugged.

"She would be right across the street," her dad pointed out. "Plus, I don't see why it would be a problem because it would eventually happen anyway."

Sky smiled, then faced her mom, her sighed.

"I can never accept that things are changing," she said, "but that's normal for a mom, isn't it? I will always be there to support you and Benny, whatever it is."

Sky's eyes lit up. "Thank you."

They wrapped her into a warm embrace before Sky said goodbye, walking out the door. When she leaves, her parents smiled.

"Things are moving fast, aren't they," Sky's mother said, walking into the kitchen to prepare some coffee.

"Not yet, darling," he chuckled, "it's just beginning to speed up."

* * *

When Sky walked into the cafeteria, the first face she was greeted with was Rory, who was bouncing up and down with a tray of food in his hands.

"Happy first day back, Sky!" he chirped.

Sky scoffed. "Take out the word 'happy', Rory."

He laughed and looked up, his eyes suddenly lighting up. He grabbed Sky's wrist and smiled brightly at her.

"Look! There's Ethan and Benny!" he said happily.

Sky nearly paled at thought of seeing Benny again — admittedly, their relationship had gone over a rough patch ever since she left his house on the morning of his hangover. Benny disconnected with Sky and his friends, and was late to both classes that they shared together.

"Um, Rory, I'm not sure if I should—" Sky started, but was interrupted when Rory suddenly dragged her over.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" he exclaimed. He looked ahead. "Ethan! Benny! Over here!"

Ethan's head lifted upon hearing his name, but Benny's noticeably stayed down. Rory sat beside Ethan and Sky hesitantly took the seat beside Benny's.

"So this is it!" Rory said excitedly. "The last few months of being a senior. Any thoughts?"

"I wish Mrs. Bernstein would stop giving us all these chemistry lab assignments," Ethan complained. "We come back and she gives us — I kid you not — twenty of these things. To be completed for next week as well!"

"Bullshit," Sky answered with a smirk. "I'm lucky I am not aiming for valedictorian."

"Aiming?" Rory echoes, leaning back. "Ethan doesn't have to aim. He's probably already hit bullseye with his eyes closed."

Sky swore she could see a smug smile behind Benny's cup, and she smiled. Ethan buried his face in his hands and groaned, making Rory laugh.

"How 'bout you, B?" Benny barely lifted his head up. "You going to try and give Ethan a run for his money, or what?"

"Thanks but no thanks, Rory," he scoffed. "I don't seem to be in the right mentality to do so."

He glared at Sky, who rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe you're choosing to start this now," she muttered, and Ethan and Rory exchanged nervous glances.

Benny turned to face Sky, leaning on the table. "Yes, I am choosing to say this now. Unless, of course, you want to choose for me, like you always do."

"Guys," Ethan said warningly, but Benny rose his hand dismissively, not making eye contact with him.

"It was just a suggestion, Benny," Sky gritted out. "I want what's best for you. I don't want you to tear yourself apart because there are now _two_ humans that you need to care for."

Benny stared at Sky for what seemed like an eternity before stomping away. Sky didn't bother watching him leave, keeping her eyes glued on her food.

"Rough patch?" Rory suggested, sipping his drink.

"Yup," Sky muttered. "Been like that ever since I saw him last. We haven't spoken since I've found him blackout drunk that one night."

"Ah, so you were there too," Ethan said sullenly. "Yeah, he was plastered. Kept going on and on about you guys having sex, actually. It was a...weird moment in our relationship, to say the least."

Sky frowned. "Wait, what day was this?"

"Um, maybe two days after he kicked us all out a day after the funeral," Ethan answered, and Sky took a deep breath.

"I was there with him when he was drunk on the day he kicked us out," Sky growled. "He's been drinking. I thought it was a one-time thing...oh, Ethan, he's changing."

"Into a vampire?" Rory said excitedly. "Sounds exciting!"

"Not a vampire, Rory," Ethan deadpanned. He then faced Sky and sighed. "I really think he needs to see someone too. Did...did you ever—"

"Not in the peak of my depression, no," Sky answered seamlessly. "Though everyone grieves in their own way, you know. During the bad days, I would usually be distant and aware. I was actually pretty calm for someone tangled in their worst nightmare."

"And?" Ethan prompted. "Do you think Benny may be going through the same thing?"

"Wait, isn't it obvious?" Rory said. "Sky said it herself — everyone grieves in their own way. Benny has a lot to grieve about right now; he just lost everyone in his family to something he couldn't protect them from. He's going through a lot of shit right now, and a lot of guilt. Perhaps he isn't depressed — maybe he's just guilty of a crime he didn't commit."

Rory leaned back, sipping more water and finally noticed Ethan and Sky's dumbstruck faces. He smiles.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked cluelessly. His eyes lit up and he added, "Ooh, or did I get it right? Can I get a prize for it?"

Sky smiled softly. "Have you ever considered being a therapist, Rory?"

"Ooh, like Harley Quinn and—"

"No!" Ethan exclaimed. "Definitely not like Harley Quinn."

Sky giggled, leaning back as well. "At least there is something to keep me up and running, is there?"

She snuck a glance at her stomach, and Ethan noticed. He smiled knowingly.

"Speaking of up and running, how's baby Besky doing?" he asked, prompting a wider smile on Rory's face. Sky blushed.

"Baby Besky?" she echoed.

"Of course," he answered. "What would you want it to be called? The baby will obviously be a girl, and she'll obviously be called Besky."

Rory shot a glare at Ethan. "A girl? Uh, no way. Benny isn't that good at sex to have a girl."

"How does Benny being good at sex influence the gender of a child?" Sky asked incredulously. Rory shrugged as if it was obvious.

"It's going to be a boy," he said matter-of-factly while ignoring the previous question. "They're going to name it Rory, obviously."

"Now you're just being ridiculous," Ethan chuckled, leaning back in his seat. Sky's cheeks flashed red once more. "If they're going to name their child after anyone, it'll be named Ethan. Though it has to be a feminine version of my name because it's definitely going to be a girl."

Rory's jaw dropped. "That's bullshit! It'll be a boy, and it'll be named Rory. Rory Batman Weir."

"You're kidding," Ethan deadpanned. "It's more probable that it's a girl for them — they had sex on an even day."

"What...how do you know that?!" Sky said in shock.

"Oh yeah, well they had sex at night, thus increasing the statistical chance of it being a boy!" Rory retorted. Sky cocked her head forward in disbelief.

"You can't actually be serious," she muttered. "There's a 50/50 chance that it's a girl or a boy — our sex schedule has no influence on the gender!"

"I'll bet you it's a girl," Ethan said over Sky. "I'll bet you all I have. Science doesn't lie — the baby's a girl."

"What science?!" Sky cried out in frustration.

Rory looked at Ethan. "How much?"

"Hundred bucks?" Ethan prompted. Sky's threw her hands up in the air frustratingly.

"You two aren't seriously considering betting on the gender of the baby right in front of me, are you?" she asked, somewhat annoyed. They ignored her as Ethan shook Rory's hand.

"Hundred bucks," he confirmed, "and the child will be named after the winner."

"What?!" Sky exclaimed in shock. Rory grinned.

"Deal!" he announced, standing up. "Now, if you excuse me, I am definitely not going to find out what foods I have to feed Sky in order for her to conceive a boy. Vampire ninja _out._ "

Rory winked and sped off in half a second, leaving Ethan groaning and storming off in attempts of finding him. Sky looked around her empty table and sighed.

"Typical nerds," she grumbled, staring at her phone boredly. "Man, if Erica or Sarah was here to slap their boyfriends silly. I swear—"

Suddenly, someone bumped into her chair, causing water to be splashed all over her shirt. She squeaked in surprise, instinctively pushing away from the table and causing the person to fall.

"Gosh, I am so sorry," the person mumbled, standing up in a rush to bring Sky off her chair. He smoothed out her shirt, which was soaked in water. "I should really watch where I'm going."

Sky looked up and the first thing she saw was his wavy brown hair, streaks of grey hidden in between. He had green eyes and pearly white teeth, along with a striped shirt with different shades of blue. He smiled and extended a hand.

"I'm Posey," he said, "Posey Waters."

"Interesting," Sky said, hesitantly shaking his hand. "I'm Sky Bryans. Do you want me to get some tissues to clean up that water…?"

She trailed off when she looked down to see her shirt miraculously dry. She looked up at him, slightly surprised.

"Sky," he said, eyes twinkling. "They always say the sky and water compliment each other. Whatever the sky's like, the ocean shortly follows."

Sky smiled smugly. "Nice."

The warning bell rang, and Sky, not aware that they were so close, reeled back slowly.

"Anyway, I have to go," she said, voice still hinting her confusion. "Nice meeting you...Posey."

"Glad you find it so interesting," he replied back with a smug smile. "Sorry again about the water."

"You can't be sorry for something you couldn't control," Sky answered. Posey grinned.

"Oh, you have no idea."

With that, he's gone, and Sky just smiled to herself, rubbing the place on her wrist that he touched and walked out.

…

Benny stared at the place where Sky was once standing, hands clenched in his pockets. He blinked, remembering everything he just saw and sighed — she moved on quickly.

* * *

"Dude, dude!" Benny barely had to turn around to know who it was. He sighed, placing his textbooks in his locker before closing it, revealing Rory's excited face.

"Rory," he hummed, flipping through his notebook. "Everything okay?"

"No!" Rory exclaimed, leaning against the locker beside him. "I swear, if I wasn't in a committed relationship, I would totally bang the heck out of the new girl!"

Benny cocked his head forward, slightly surprised. "Wait...what?"

"Her name is Dusa Snakes," Rory said, wiggling his eyebrows at her name. "She just moved here a few days ago and she literally makes people freeze in her path. She is _that_ hot."

"Why would I be interested in it?" Benny gritted out, slightly annoyed. Rory shrugged.

"Just thought you should know."

He hesitates, before saying, "You do know that I am still in a relationship...right?"

"Really?" Rory said, blinking in confusion. "I mean, it doesn't really seem like it, don't you think?"

Benny groaned, opening his locker again to continuously put books in his bag.

"Did Ethan send you to scold me again?" he muttered. "Better yet, did Sky send you in attempts of making more choices for me?"

Rory sighed, patting Benny's back sympathetically. "Rough, dude. I just came here willingly, but it sucks that you and Sky are still fighting."

"It's not my problem," Benny said lowly.

"You are in the relationship, right?" Rory asked, arms crossed. "You said so yourself. It's your problem. If you keep this up, you'll be interested in Dusa eventually."

The words stunned Benny into silence. Rory's serious face lifted into a smile, and he shrugged happily.

"Anyway, it's your choice!" he chirped. "Just...consider talking to her, 'kay? She probably wants this to be over more than you do."

Benny stared at him. "Er...thanks, Rory." He paused, and added, "Anyway, since you're here, I have been meaning to ask if you have your half of the report done for Mrs. Ho—"

"I don't know what you're talking about, pretty-face."

Benny blinked in surprise at the new voice and met the stare of bright green eyes. Slowly closing his locker, he blinked again and finally focused on who was standing in front of him.

Replacing Rory was a girl, perhaps as old as Benny was. The most prominent feature was probably her bright green eyes, lightening up her pale face. She was wearing mostly black, which matched her black spun turban.

"Hello," he said dumbly. She grinned and extended a hand forward.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Dusa Snakes."

Benny scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, I think I think I've heard of you."

"Oh?" she asked, slightly surprised. Benny's cheeks go bright red, and he smiled to mask the sudden embarrassment.

"Uh, that sounds creepy, let me start again." Benny laughed nervously as he shook her hand. "I'm Benny. I heard you're new around here."

To his surprise, Dusa laughed. "I was just kidding, pretty-face. I am new 'round here. Barely scraped through my first day — bet it would've been easier with you with me."

Benny blushed. "Er, it might've. My girlfriend is always complaining about how big of a school this is."

It was discreet, yes, but it seemingly got the message through. Dusa's smile faltered, but she laughed once more.

"Girlfriend, huh?" she said smoothly. "How adorable. Does she tell you how bright and beautiful your eyes are?"

"W-What?" Benny stammered in surprise.

Without warning, Dusa lifted her hand and brushed her hand against his skin. He noticeably stiffened, but didn't push her hand back. She leaned forward and, with her free hand, adjusted her turban.

"They are bright," she whispered, lips barely grazing his cheek, "like an emerald buried beneath layers and _layers_ of stone."

She pulled back and smirked, walking away. Benny turned around in the direction she went, almost dumbfounded.

He sighed and mumbled to himself, "At least I can go home now without potential interruptions."

He opens his locker for the third time, he pulls out his backpack and closed his locker, snapping the lock with a satisfying click. He turned around and—

"Who was that?" Sky immediately asked, and Benny jumped. When he saw who it was, he groaned loudly, throwing his head back in frustration.

"Jesus, I need to put a doorbell on this thing," he muttered.

"Who was that?" Sky asked again. Benny shrugged dismissively.

"Just the new girl," he answered. "Dusa Snakes. Rory mentioned her. She seems suspicious if you're going to ask. Last thing she said to me was something about stone, and her name is obviously related to Me—"

"She was close to you, wasn't she?" Sky asked discreetly, and Benny sighed, dropping his idea completely.

"You're kidding," he deadpanned. Sky crossed her arms defensively.

"Well you move on fast, haven't you," Sky retorted, and before Benny could open his mouth to argue, someone tapped on Sky's shoulder.

"Sky, right?" the person asked, and Benny stiffened. Sky turned around and then quickly looked away.

"Poesy," she squeaked. "What can I do for you?"

"Dusa Snakes," he muttered lowly. "She's dangerous. I don't want you hanging around with her, 'kay? Quite actually, I'd prefer if you help me send her back so I can go home as well."

"Er, we'll talk later, okay?" Sky rambled, hastily waving her hand while keeping her eyes locked on Benny nervously. "Um, go ask my friend, Ethan! He'll probably know how to help you with your...crisis, or whatever."

"But Sky—"

"Thanks, Posey, I'll see you in class!" she said at last, pushing him in the opposite direction. The two spellmasters watch as he scratched his head in confusion and dazedly walked away. Sky turned around, rubbing the back of her neck shyly.

"So, that was nice, wasn't it?" she said, slowly backing away. "Anyway, it was nice talking to you, Benny. We good, right? We good—"

"Move on fast?" Benny growled. "You can't possibly pull that card on me when you have this...Posey wrapped around your finger."

"I don't even know him," Sky lied, her back against the locker with her arms crossed defensively.

Benny scoffed. "Bullshit, I saw you with him when lunch ended." He pressed his hands together and dreamily mocked her. " 'Oh, that's really interesting, P-Posey!' "

"Benny," Sky said warningly.

Benny's voice lowered. " 'People say the sky and water compliment each other 'cause ocean follows sky shortly — blah blah blah'."

Sky rolled her eyes. " 'Oh, I'm the new girl!' " she mocked back. "'Barely scraped through the first day — bet it would've been _soooo_ much easier with you!"

She batted her eyelashes and Benny glared at her coldly.

"You know, I am not going to stand around and watch you accuse me of cheating with actual frickin' Medusa while actual frickin' Poseidon was flirting with you." Benny huffed, straightening his back. "I have better things to do."

"Medusa? Poseidon — what are you on about?"

"Are you that blind?" Benny yelled. "They are gods for...for God's sake!"

Sky blinked, and Benny rolled his eyes.

"Posey?! What kind of name is Posey?!"

"Okay, so maybe we need to talk to him," Sky rationalized calmly. "He was warning us about Dusa — no, Medusa — so maybe he knows how to stop her."

Benny threw his hands up in the air frustratingly. "Of course. Completely disregard the problem like you always do."

"What are you trying to say?" Sky shot back. "You're just making this over-dramatic."

"This is pointless," Benny grumbled, walking away. Sky sighed.

"You know you always create unnecessary problems, right?!"

Benny stopped in the hallway. He turned around and saw Sky storm towards him.

"You're a drama queen," she hissed. "Maybe you were right."

"Right about what?" Benny asked, despite knowing the answer. Sky threw her head back in frustration and huffed.

"Maybe I do have every reason to leave you."

Suddenly, everything got too tight. Benny turned on his heel and walked off, and Sky, her hand covering her mouth, watched him helplessly.

* * *

"So you solved it then?" Sky asked into the phone.

" _Yup!"_ Ethan said proudly. " _Posey did help us after all. It was kind of weird, not doing it with your or Benny, but Posey was an okay partner."_

Sky chuckled half-heartedly. "Yeah, it was weird not to be there with you guys. It's kind of like a big bulk of the adventure was left unfinished. How'd you do it?"

" _Hmm?"_ Ethan asked, before understanding. " _Oh, it was pretty simple. I took a Greek Mythology course over the summer break, so I just figured we would do it like Perseus did — approach Medusa with a shiny mirror and look at her through that so we could cut her head off."_

"And how did that turn out?"

" _Horribly,"_ Ethan answered. " _Then I remembered that Jane had this phase when she was obsessed with some book called 'Goddess Girls' and they defeated Medusa by making her stare into her own reflection, thus turning herself into stone."_

Sky laughed. "Golden."

" _I know,"_ Ethan replied. " _Posey ended up leaving with the statue to return her to Zeus or something."_

"So actual Poseidon flirted with me then?"

" _Not really,"_ Ethan said. " _More like the descendant of Poseidon. Or at least, the physical version of Poseidon."_

Sky frowned. "Come again?"

" _We figured that out that actual Poseidon couldn't really go on Earth without portraying a physical form, so he created some kind of descendant to go after Medusa. Since Medusa was a mortal, she could go to Earth by herself, making it quite the mission for the gods."_

"Interesting," she murmured. "And that comment about the sky and ocean that Posey said to me?"

" _Got it from Google,"_ Ethan confirmed. " _Rory made him confess when he started asking if you were single or not."_

"Of course," Sky said, smiling. "Anyway, I'm glad that's all sorted out."

" _A bit anticlimactic, don't you think?"_ Ethan mused. " _I was kind of expecting a really cool adventure to tell you."_

"Sometimes all we need is a filler," Sky answered absentmindedly. "It's not to say that all our adventures are interesting."

" _I guess."_

A moment of silence filled the gap between the two before Sky sighed.

"I'd love to chat, E, but I have a pile of homework on my desk just waiting to be done," Sky said. "Thank you for handling the case so well."

" _Anytime,"_ Ethan said happily.

"I meant to ask," Sky added, "where was Rory during all of this?"

Ethan groaned. " _Oh he was there alright."_

Sky frowned suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

" _Let's just say he was the reason Plan A didn't work in the first place. I guess Medusa remembered what Perseus did to begin with and thought the blonde hair was similar so she wasn't going to make that mistake again."_

"Typical," Sky laughed. "Well, nice talking to you, E. I'll see you tomorrow."

She hung up before Ethan could say anything about her and Benny — she knew he was going to; it just wasn't going to be now — and exited the phone app to replace it with the music app instead.

She sat at her desk, chin in her left hand as she grabbed a pencil and began to tap it against the desk. Her phone proceeded to play "Unintended" by Muse, and she mindlessly did her homework.

One thing led to another, and she ended up thinking about Benny more than she wanted to. Everything that had happened to them...it wasn't something she wanted to deal with under the circumstances they were in.

" _I'll be there as soon as I can. But I'm busy mending broken pieces of the life I had before."_

The chorus of the song rang in her ears and answered more questions that she could ever.

Benny wasn't going to be there for her right now. That was definitely certain. It was because he was fixing his past. Sky...she was always going to be his number one priority because that was all he had left now, but she had to wait.

She looked down at her blank paper to see that it was filled with her endless stream of thoughts. She sighed, crumpling it up into a ball and throwing it behind her.

"You can't do it on your own, Benny," Sky mumbled to herself. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

* * *

 **a/n- oooOooOoH :P**

 **tune in next time for your daily angst! i will update as soon as i finish chapter 5, so it should be a little while. hopefully next week or the week after depending on time, as school is kicking me hard in the ass :P**

 **drop a review if you liked it if you like, and i will see you soon :)**

 _ **iżommu dwar iż-żamma fuq (maltese)**_


	4. I Dreamed A Dream

**a/n- wassup? it be tobn here with a new chapter of friends forever!**

 **last night was a cute filler, though we still have that benny/sky angst none of us like. lucky for you, that will be resolved here, but not without a series of unfortunate events where it might not be resolved :P this one was an original thought that was supposed to be in ex-friends, i think, but it is much more appropriate here. though this is a long one, so maybe grab yourself a cup of tea and take the blanket from your blanket-hog-friend who pushed you off the couch *stares at a certain someone :P* and get ready for a long mess of angst :P**

 **shoutouts to...**

 **fangerdanger6- i am glad you stuck around! i really enjoy reading your reviews because you are v involved in the story :P yes, it has started off with a bang, and i don't really know how many more bangs will happen, but there will be big...bangs. i dunno, you dunno, let's just move on and forget this happened :P thanks for the review, love :)**

 **bennyweirlover17- thank you! i certainly try my best to be awesome *flips hair* :P**

 **mbav fan66- it is, isn't it? lol :P and ayyy you are the one who realized it! i know it isn't a direct quote and all, but you are the number one fan (i mean, you always were, but you know what i mean :P). and don't you worry — you will get some of that baby betting fan-service in future chapters to come! i can reassure you it actually does make a big difference in the outcome of the story ;) thank you for your review as always, fanfic buddy!**

 **so kick back, relax, and have fun reading this monstrous piece of art — it took me a while, and now it will take you a while :P**

 **disclaimer: *sings in the solfege scale up and down (do, re, mi, etc)* i don't own mbav or its wonderful characters i just own the plot and oc's please enjoy the story :P**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

Friends Forever: Chapter 4: I Dreamed A Dream

* * *

Sky was going to knock on Ethan's door, _she really was,_ but instead she was hurling her dinner over Ethan's front bush.

She didn't know how it happened, but her stomach was flipping and turning and she couldn't help it. She probably got one knock down before it happened, and she leaned against the white fence.

' _Get a grip,'_ she thought bitterly, and then she heard the door open. She quickly turned around, wiping her mouth, and blinked.

 _Benny_. His eyes were dull and his hair was a mess, but he was _there._

They stood there for a minute, almost staring at how terrible each of them looked. Benny stepped to the side to make way for Sky, and she nodded quickly, as if silently thanking him.

She rushed into the house, kicking off her shoes and made her way to the living room to see Ethan cross-legged on the floor. Sarah was sitting beside him, and Erica and Rory took the couch.

"Hey, Sky!" Rory chirped, throwing a piece of popcorn in the air and into his mouth. "You're just in time — we're about to watch _Inception!"_

"Um, Ethan?" Sky squeaked. "C-Can I see you in the kitchen for a minute?"

Ethan frowned, and pushed himself up. "Uh, sure. One sec." He faced Sarah and asked, "Want a popcorn refill?"

"Thanks, babe," Sarah said sweetly, kissing his cheek as he got the bowl. He blushed and hastily walked with Sky to the kitchen.

As he prepared some microwave popcorn, Sky leaned against the counter.

"You didn't mention Benny would be here," she hissed quietly. Ethan shrugged, not making any eye contact.

"He's my friend, he's your boyfriend — I am not actually sure why he wouldn't be here," he answered earnestly, and Sky sighed.

"You know why," she pressed. Ethan sighed.

"I do," he said, "but that doesn't mean I can interfere and try to help."

"You're too sweet," Sky said with a roll of her eyes. Ethan frowned.

"You're too pale," he pointed out. "Are you good?"

Sky blushed. "I threw up over your porch."

"Oh my god, are you okay?" he asked quickly. Sky nodded quietly, and Ethan took a breath and continued to make his popcorn.

"I thought sickness was in the morning," Ethan joked in attempts at lightening up the situation. Sky shrugged nonchalantly.

"Morning sickness, night sickness, same stuff — both are something I don't want to be having," she answered with a chuckle, and Ethan patted her back reassuringly.

"Hey, at least baby Besky is going to be the result of that suffering in the end," Ethan said with a wink, and Sky rolled her eyes.

"You were being helpful, you know," she teased, "for one second."

Ethan laughed as she left and sat down beside Sarah. She smiled, giving her a small nudge.

"What were you two talking about?" Sarah said suggestively. "I heard the words 'baby Besky' — does that mean a gender reveal is coming up soon?"

"How is Ethan the first to know?" Erica protested lightly, and Rory rolled his eyes.

"It's obviously going to be a boy," he said. Sarah nodded.

"Yeah, I feel like Sky and Benny would have a boy. That might be the most realistic option," she agreed, and Erica frowned.

"Really?" she asked. "I thought it was going to be a girl."

Rory gasped dramatically, throwing his hand over his heart.

"Erica, how _dare_ you go to the dark side!" Rory exclaimed. "Do you not know how science works at all?!"

"What science?!" Benny groaned, and Sky whipped her head at the words. She smiled.

"That's exactly what I said," she murmured quietly, and she swore she saw the corner of Benny's lip quirk up. Her eyes fall onto her lap, and she found herself blushing — ' _As if being my dreamy boyfriend wasn't enough.'_

"I got popcorn!" Ethan announced, practically waltzing into the room. Rory's head shot up and eagerly waved his hands. Ethan rolled his eyes and gave him the whole bowl, and as Rory dug in, he presented a tinier bowl to Sarah. She grinned.

"You know me so well," she murmured against his ear. Ethan smiled smugly.

"What, that you don't like sharing with Rory?"

"Hey, what's so wrong with sharing with Rory?" the blond vampire asked quizzically, a handful of popcorn in his mouth. Sarah hid her giggles behind her hand.

"She probably doesn't want your saliva all over it," Erica commented snarkily, popping a piece in her mouth. Rory huffed, crossing his arms defensively.

"You like it when my saliva is all over you," Rory retorted. Erica's eyes widened, and Ethan, Sarah, and Sky looked away, giggling.

"Gross!" she exclaimed, her cheeks flushing red. Benny snickered loudly, and Erica flashed her fangs at him defensively.

"Are you laughing at me, spell-dork?" she growled. Benny nodded.

"And I'm enjoying it," he said in return, and Sky laughed. They exchanged a small look, and Benny gave Sky a small smile. She melted, and snapped out of her mini-trance with Ethan suggestively nudged her.

"Shut up," she murmured. Ethan smiled widely.

"Can we just start the movie, please?!" Rory whined, and Ethan nodded, pressing play on the remote and watching the movie spring to life.

* * *

The dark room is illuminated by the screen of the TV, and as they watched realities twist and spin within the walls of the movie, Sky couldn't help but stare at Benny.

He's seen this a thousand times, she knows, but it looks different now. He looks concentrated as always, but his hood up is throwing her off — it's usually down and loose, but now it looks tighter.

She felt her stomach twist and instinctively leaned on Ethan, who stiffened at the contact. She looked at him and shot back up in a second. Both of them were blushing.

"Sorry," she murmured. "Stomach hurt and…"

She glanced at Benny, who was fishing for a bit of popcorn from the couch above him, and sighed.

"It's fine," he said without stammering. "As long as everything we clarified when he was a kid still stands, yeah?"

"Er, y-yeah, of course," Sky stuttered, pressing her thumbs together. "You would never, and I…"

She looked at Benny, grinning cutely at _God knows what_ and smiled softly. "And I would never."

At that moment, a huge crash was heard from above them, and all of them jumped. Erica, Sarah, and Rory flashed out their fangs in an instant, and Benny's hand was already on his messenger bag that carried his spellbook. Sky instinctively grabbed her stomach, and then her heart raced.

' _That isn't a normal reaction,'_ her brain rambled. ' _You feel the need to protect your child — surely that means this is dangerous, no?'_

She felt Ethan's hand on hers and she looked up to his reassuring smile.

"Stay calm, yeah?" he whispered. Sky nodded wearily.

"Yeah," she echoed. Ethan stood up to go upstairs, and Sarah hastily followed after him. Sky could feel herself shivering at the sudden cold breeze that entered the room, and—

"Hey."

Sky looked up and saw emerald eyes. She stiffened at first, but saw Benny's earnest eyes. She looked down, trying not to show her confusion.

"You're mad at me." She said it dumbly, trying not to sound like she was. Benny's grip loosened, but his hand remained on her shoulder.

"I am," he answered, "but that doesn't mean I will be a jerk about it."

"You haven't talked to me for a while, you know," Sky commented quietly. "It hurt to see you distance yourself from me. What could you have been doing?"

She said the last question as a half-joke, and realized their noses were barely touching when Benny pulled back. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Listening to the _Undertale_ soundtrack a million times," he answered almost sarcastically, and Sky sighed.

"What do you think is going on up there?" Rory pondered aloud. Erica leaned back and shrugged, eating more popcorn.

"Probably just a ploy for a quick bang here and there," Erica muttered.

"They banged so hard that the TV isn't working and now I can't see Leonardo DiCaprio bounce around in different dimensions and stuff."

"They're dreams, Rory," Sky groaned.

"Actually, they're more like a dream realm created by a person's subconscious," Benny corrected, and Sky rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, a huge bang was heard from upstairs. Everyone got on their feet, and watched as Sarah sped down the stairs with an unconscious Ethan in her hands.

"Oh my god," Benny murmured. Sarah looked back and forth at her friends, then at the stairs.

"Not dead," she pants, "asleep."

"Who?" Sky managed to say. Sarah's eyes widened when she felt something crash against her head, the word "Mar—" coming out of her mouth before dropping on the ground with Ethan beside her. Everyone exchanged nervous glances.

"Mark?" Rory squeaked. Sky sighed.

"That damn Brit," she muttered, and suddenly, a stream of magic came flying at Rory's head.

"Duck!" Benny yelled, throwing himself and Sky on the ground. Erica ducked, but Rory turned around.

"Duck?" he echoed. "Duck where—"

The magic bolt hit him in the forehead, and he crumpled onto the ground in a heap. Erica looked at him, concerned, before facing the staircase and narrowing her eyes.

"Mark," she hissed, standing up with her fangs bared. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Mark — Sky would never get used to the fact that _he was there, alive —_ slid on the rails of Ethan's staircase and landed on his feet, his hands sparking with magic. He looked at the three teens on the ground and grinned.

"I'm a villain, aren't I?" Mark crooned, hitting Erica in the chest by surprise and watching her fall on the ground. Sky and Benny looked at each other as Mark circled Sky menacingly.

"Every story has a villain, does it not?" Sky stiffened at his cold touch on her chin. He then flicked his finger and with one spark, Sky crumpled on the ground.

Benny caught Sky in her fall and lowered her onto the ground, before turning towards Mark with a growl.

"What the fuck did you do to them," he growled. Mark laughed.

"Just having a little fun, _bro,"_ Mark said with a pearly white grin. Benny clutched his hands in a fist.

"I am _not_ your brother," he hissed. Mark smiled.

"Anyway, I'm just giving your friends some rest," he explained with a grin. "Eventually, you'll want some as well, no?"

There was something about those eyes that made Benny go quiet.

"Thought so," he said with a grin. "You can escape me here, but you can't escape your _dreams."_

Benny's eyes widened, and Mark's smile was the last thing he saw.

…

" _ **You'll sleep forever, and that'll be it for Team V**_ — _**the team that lost to their own mind."**_

* * *

"Is everyone okay?"

Sky blinked her eyes, clearing the blurs in her vision. When she regained full awareness, a loud squeal snapped her fully awake.

"What the hell was that?" Sky muttered, rubbing her head as she stood up. She wobbled a bit, but Benny was there to keep her steady.

"Thanks," Sky murmured. Benny said nothing and let her go to look around.

"We're in an amusement park," Benny mumbled to himself. Sky turned around to see that he was right — children were running past them like they weren't there, and big rollercoasters and ferris wheels filled her vision. The smell of food was vivid, but wasn't quite there.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"An amusement park, like Benny said," Erica's voice made her turn around. "Keep up, will you?"

She saw all her friends except for Rory were awake and confused. Rory bounced happily.

"I can't believe we are in an amusement park!" Rory bubbled. "This is like a dream come true! Even if _Inception_ is pretty cool, I would much rather and go on cool rides!"

"Wait a minute, dream?" Benny echoed. Rory promptly ignored him, pointing to a rollercoaster and yelling, "Let's go there first!"

"Do you think Mark put us to sleep just to put us in a dream?" Ethan asked curiously.

"Or that one!" Rory pointed to another ride, spinning around as he watched rides going up and down and hearing everyone's excited screams.

"Possibly?" Benny said hesitantly. "I don't know. He said something about us not being able to escape our dreams."

"That one looks fun!" Rory exclaimed again. Erica nudged him sharply, and he lowered his arm disappointedly.

"I bet there is a way to get out," Sarah thought aloud, "but what is it?"

"How do you wake up from a dream?" Rory prompted, annoyed that they weren't listening to him, but distracted by everything else. Erica's eyes widened in realization.

"You wake up!" Erica said with a snap of her fingers. "Rory, that's a genius idea!"

He turned around and smiled. "I know! The 'Super-Fantastic-Mega-Super-Coaster' sounds like a great ride to start!"

"There has to be a version of us somewhere here, right?" Ethan suggested. "Maybe we just need to look."

"I mean, it says 'super' twice — that has to mean something, right?"

Benny huffed, and spun Rory around by the shoulders. "Look, dude, that sounds great, but unless that rollercoaster can bring me back to the world of the living, I'm not interested!"

Rory crossed his arms. "Suit yourself. It's my dream after all."

Everyone fell silent, and Erica stared at him, confused.

"Wait, your dream?" she asked. "How do you know that it's your dream?"

"I've always dreamed of opening my own amusement park," he explained

"That would explain the...colourful atmosphere," Ethan mused.

"It'd be very cool, just like this one!" Rory continued. "Though I imagined the 'Super-Fantastic-Mega-Super-Coaster' would be bigger, but maybe I changed that one because of what happened in the last dream."

Sky shuddered at the thought. "How do you even know it's your amusement park?"

Rory pointed to a sign with his name on it at the front of the park. "My name's on a sign, and right beside it says 'All here for Rory Keaner and Jennifer Lawrence's wedding, please go to the corn dog stand."

"Jennifer Lawrence?" Erica echoed in shock.

"Corn dogs?" Benny asked at the same time. Everyone stared at Benny, who meekly shrugged and added, "I'm a bit hungry, okay?"

"Why would there be a wedding where you and J-Law get...married?!" Sarah asked, surprised. Rory shrugged.

"She's on my fuck list," he said as if it were obvious. Erica flashed her fangs furiously and sped off in the direction of the sign. Rory's eyes widened.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed. "Jennifer, honey, I'm coming for you!"

He sped off as well, and Benny, Ethan, and Sky stared at Sarah.

"Which one of you do you want me to take," she droned, crossing her arms.

"Not me," Sky said right away. "I don't want my baby to throw up in my stomach either, thanks."

"Ethie?" she asked, almost sweetly. Ethan went bright red, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"I'll pass, thanks," he murmured. "I like all my limbs in their place, thanks."

"Benny?" Sarah prompted. Benny blinked.

"What?"

"Perfect." Sarah smiled smugly as she grabbed Benny's hand in one swift motion and sped him away, leaving Ethan and Sky to walk.

"So we just follow where Benny's vomit is," Ethan joked as they walked along the trail. Sky instinctively grabbed onto Ethan's arm as she nearly tripped on her own feet.

"What is it?" Ethan asked, concerned. Sky shook her head.

"It's all these rides," she explained. "They're making me a bit dizzy."

"Totally explainable," Ethan chuckled. "Rory is kind of a dizzy kind of guy, you know? I mean, maybe that's how all our dreams will go — based off our personalities."

"What do you think yours will be?" Sky inquired. Ethan shrugged.

"Maybe busy," he admitted. "I have a lot on my mind nowadays."

"Good things, I hope?" Sky prompted, walking past some kids running with cotton candy in their hands. "You only deserve the best, I hope you know."

Ethan blushed, digging his hands in his pocket. "Of course. Thank you."

"You need to hear it sometimes," Sky replied with a smile.

"Honestly, it's mostly just about exams and tests and stuff," Ethan said begrudgingly. "There is just too much going on, and even if I feel like I'm doing nothing, I still feel busy."

"The mind always liked illusions," Sky answered softly. "Sometimes it'll make you feel too stressed for no reason, and sometimes it'll give you illusions of a sadness you don't really feel."

Ethan stopped and shyly asked, "Is that what depression is for you?"

Sky stopped and looked down. "Kind of? It's like having all of these ideas of happiness and not being able to use them. You have so much to be happy about, but your brain...I guess it just doesn't have enough of what it needs to do so."

Ethan frowned. "Um...you've never told me that before."

Sky smiled sadly. "You never asked."

The two walked in silence and Ethan finally added, "Does Benny know?"

Sky shrugged. "Possibly. Everyone has a different idea of what my depression is. Some might think it's because of my past tormentors. My therapist thought it was because of the science of how my brain works. My parents thought it was because of them."

She paused, thinking about an answer before continuing.

"Benny might know, or he might not. It's not really about knowing you or someone you love having depression — it's about what you're going to do about it. Benny stopped me from killing myself and gave me enough happiness to fool my brain for awhile — it happens."

"Is that a good thing?"

"It's the best thing that has ever happened to me," Sky answered honestly. Ethan looked to the side, and smiled to himself.

"I'm really happy for you," he murmured.

"We were never dating to begin with, Ethan," Sky whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You know who you love. In your head, I will always be your best friend. It's totally cool to love your best friend."

All of the sudden, Ethan kissed Sky's cheek. She stiffened softly, but smiled.

"You would know," he whispered quietly. Sky placed a hand on her other arm shyly.

"I guess I would," she said. "I've always quite—"

"Get out of here and go join your whole Peeta/Katniss ship, J-Law!" they heard Erica scream. They lifted their heads to see that they were in front of the aisle, lined with flowers and small rockets, with Rory staring at everything in shock, along with Benny and Sarah watching defensively as Erica pounded dream-Jennifer Lawrence silly. Dream-Rory stood there, cheering the two on, wearing a slick black tux.

Rory punched his dream self in the arm. "Not cool, man! J-Law is a big deal!"

"Oh, right!" Dream-Rory said, and straightened up. Erica whipped her head towards Dream-Rory and stomped up to him.

"This is for being number two on your fuck list!" she exclaimed.

She punched Dream-Rory square in the face, and he collapsed on the ground. Rory grabbed his own nose, wincing as he fizzled out of the realm.

"Rory?" Erica said in confusion, watching as the Dream-Rory disappeared, along with Jennifer Lawrence, and the rollercoasters, and the whole park.

Everything shook as the five huddled closely and when they opened their eyes, all they could see is fog that was leaking into the crumbling walls of Rory's dream.

"Well this should be fun," Erica muttered, somewhat knowing what was happening. "Fun indeed."

* * *

In a blink of an eye, the only thing Sky could see was grey fog.

"Your vision is fogged up too, right?" Sky heard Ethan yell. She turned around and blindly waved her hands, trying to grab onto something.

"Yeah, but I can't really see—" Sky frowned, and then finally felt something stiffen at her touch.

"I think I'm touching something," she announced, before giving it a small squeeze. "It's a bit squishy I would say, but—"

"That's my butt, Sky," she heard Benny say, almost dully, and her hands reeled back as if she was burnt.

"Er, whoops?" she squeaked. She heard Sarah stifle a laugh behind he.

"Relax, you gave my ass a squeeze many times."

"Benny!" Sky exclaimed, horrified. For the first time in what seemed like a long time, Benny laughed.

"Just giving the audience what they want," he retorted, and Sky finally got a blurry vision of his face. Ethan laughed.

"Can you guys shut up for a minute and try to make sure that we are all in the same place?" Erica yelled, and Sarah rolled her eyes.

"I think we are all in the same place," Sarah explained, "or I think we are. Pretty sure Rory is still gone though."

"Do you think he woke up?" Ethan prompted.

"How about you squeeze my butt to make sure?" Benny asked at the same time, and Sky groaned.

"Shut up," she said, blushing.

"How do you think we get out of here?" Sarah asked when she came into view, along with Erica and Ethan.

"It's Erica's dream," Sky pointed out, "so maybe she knows?"

"You don't have to speak in the third person," Erica muttered, rolling her eyes. "I'm right here."

"Suggestions?" Ethan asked. Erica shrugged.

"I don't really know, to be honest," Erica said. "I guess my mind is always pretty...foggy, in a sense. Maybe I should, somehow, clear it ou—"

" _Helloooooooo?"_

Everyone's heads snapped up at the familiar noise.

"R-Rory?" Sky stuttered.

" _Oh, hi, Sky!"_ Rory exclaimed, his voice barely an echo. " _Didn't know you'd be in there! Is Erica's head as cool as I think it is?"_

"How do you know we're in Erica's head?" Benny said hesitantly.

" _I'm speaking in Erica's ear!"_ Rory chirped. " _I mean, I woke up and I was hungry for a corn dog, so I sped to an amusement park a few miles away and came back, and then I accidentally got a bit of ketchup on Erica's ear."_

"You did what?!" Erica exclaimed.

" _Don't worry, babe, I licked it off,"_ Rory explained.

Erica visibly winced, and Sky muffled her laugh in her hand.

" _Hey, you usually like it—"_

"Rory!" Erica hissed. "How are you talking to me?"

" _Oh, I wanted to see if you could hear me because you are all still asleep over here," Rory explained, "so I am talking to your ear!"_

"Huh," Sky said with a huff. "That's...clever."

"I think we need to clear the fog," Erica said all of the sudden. "It might clear up our vision and we'll be able to find...um...dream-me."

" _How about I blow in your ear?"_

Erica squeezed her eyes. "Rory, please don't blow in my ear."

"It might work," Benny pointed out. Erica crossed her arms.

"What would you know about clearing fog in my head?"

"I'm just thinking about how Mark would work," Benny retorted. "He would try and be clever because he thinks we're dumb."

" _I'm blowing!"_

"Are you actually kidding me—"

The sound of Rory blowing really loudly filled the atmosphere, and, surprisingly, it worked: the fog cleared up slowly, and sure enough, a confused looking Erica was looking around the area.

"I-It...it worked," Sky said, blinking in confusion.

Erica slowly walked towards her dream self and tapped her shoulder.

"What is she doing?" Ethan asked, tilting his head a bit.

"I think she's...clearing things up?" Sarah prompted. "She said her mind is always foggy...like, blurred with secrets?"

" _Secrets?!"_ Rory boomed. " _Erica, are you keeping secrets from here?"_

"Not now, Rory," Erica whispered quietly. Benny frowned.

"She's...is she crying?" he whispered in shock.

" _Crying?"_ Rory said, a bit quieter. " _What secret could make her cry…"_

A moment of silence, and Rory finally said, " _Oh."_

"Spit it out," Erica whispered shakily, spinning her dream-self around and grabbed her by the shoulder. "You just need to tell someone!"

"I-I can't," her dream-self whispered.

"Tell her what?" Sky exclaimed. "Erica, what's going on—"

"Just tell them what you did!" she screamed, and everything in the grey scene shattered.

The fog was completely cleared now and the only thing everyone saw was a bunch of trees.

"A forest?" Ethan whispered, confused.

Erica and her dream-self disappeared in an instant, and Ethan, Sarah, Benny, and Sky felt themselves flipping over.

"Crap!" Sarah exclaimed, nearly falling, trying to hold on to something, _anything._ Sky felt herself losing balance.

The sound of cars zooming past them was all they heard, and—

* * *

Erica woke up, gasping for air as if she was underwater.

"Erica?" Rory asked, crawling up to her and his eyes brightened up in realization. "You're awake!

"Yeah, I guess I am," Erica muttered, rubbing her head as her breathing evened out. She looked around at her sleeping friends and added, "Is this what the world of the living looks like?"

"Yup!" Rory chirped. "Though, we aren't really alive, are we?"

Erica frowned. "No. No we aren't."

Rory stood up, dusting his clothes off and stared at the TV.

"Well would you look at that," he said. "The movie's still playing."

Erica's eyes widened. "Wait, are they still in there?"

"Well, they are sleeping, so I assume they are?" Rory answered, and Erica stood up as well, looking at her sleeping friends.

"How did you talk to us last time?" she asked hastily.

"Ears," Rory confirmed.

Erica went on her knees and leaned towards Sky. "Hello? Is anyone there? It's Erica, guys, you need to say something!"

"Maybe they're not in Sky's dream?" Rory suggested, going beside Sarah. "Hellooooo? It's me, Rory! You guys in there?"

"Guys?" Erica said in Benny's ear.

" _Rory?"_

Erica shot up at the noise to see Rory beside Ethan. He smiled and cheered, "Bingo!"

Erica rushed to his side. "Are you guys okay? What happened? Where are you guys?"

" _Some kind of...city,"_ Sky's voice seemed distant, but floated out of Ethan's ear with ease. Rory frowned.

"This is whose dream?" Rory asked, puzzled.

" _Ethan's,"_ Sarah answered. " _You're talking in his ear, aren't you?"_

"Oh, right!" Rory said, giggling. Erica rolled her eyes.

" _What can you see?"_ she asked.

A pause. " _Cars,"_ Ethan answered. " _A lot of traffic, a lot of horns blaring, and it's kind of making my head hurt...if it isn't already."_

Rory suddenly shook Ethan's head and yells, "Does it feel better now?"

Erica punched Rory's arm with a groan, and he yelped.

" _Wait, Rory, you need to do that again,"_ Benny's voice echoed.

"Wait, what?" Erica repeated in shock.

"Ha, I told you! One of my brilliant plans worked!" Rory cheered.

"Why does he need to shake Ethan's head?" Erica asked. "What's going on?"

" _Think about it metaphorically, okay?"_ Benny said. " _Ethan's mind is literally a busy place, but a literal shake can fix that, no? When Rory shook Ethan's head, all the cars wobbled, and it revealed that the land could break up into small pieces and flip over, revealing some kind of...blue sky. I think I saw a robot there…"_

"That could be the next dream realm," Erica mused.

" _Which is great, except we need to find dream-Ethan,"_ Sky pointed out.

"Don't you think the shake will wake him up a bit?" Rory suggested. "I mean, when Erica punched dream-me in the nose, I felt it too — which hurt like a bitch, by the way."

"Anytime, babe," Erica said distractedly. "That might actually work though, so nice going, Rory."

"Anytime, babe!" Rory echoed happily.

" _I have not consented to this,"_ Ethan said warningly.

"Let's do it!" Rory said at the same time, and before Ethan could protest, Rory shook Ethan's head with vampire speed.

Ethan groaned, twisting his head to the side as he squeezed his eyes shut.

…

"Ethan, are you okay?" Sarah said, holding onto him as he fell on his knees, grasping his head. She looked up and yelled, "Rory, stop it!"

Suddenly, every car was flipped on its side and people were screaming. Ethan winced, squeezing his eyes shut and slowly rising.

" _Slow down!"_ he yelled, and everything stopped, and—

* * *

"Fuck, my head!" Ethan said, bumping his head into Rory, who reeled back at the contact.

"Hey, that's the second time this has happened!" Rory said accusingly. "You really need to watch out where you're...snapping back into reality!"

Ethan groaned, rubbing his head. "What happened?"

"You just woke up," Erica explained. "On a completely unrelated note, we might have an idea where the three are at now."

"Where?" Ethan asked.

"Sarah's dream," she replied. "I know Sarah. If Benny was right about the robot, then it's probably high-tech. If it's high-tech, it's futuristic. If it's futuristic, it's probably Sarah stressing about—"

"—the future," Ethan finished off, nodding. He looked towards Sarah's sleeping body and sighed.

"I guess we should see if you're right," he murmured.

* * *

Ethan fizzled out at the sound of the words and the ground began to flip upside down square by square. Cars flew in the air and began to shine, with their wheels turning on their sides to reveal blue flames.

"Hover-cars?" Benny yelled in confusion over the noise.

"Guys, we have to run and jump onto one of those," Sky said quickly as she watched the square-pieces of the road rise. "If we don't, we're going to fall right into the sky."

"The sky?" Sarah exclaimed. "What on earth are you talking about—"

The ground between them began to split, revealing a blue sky and white clouds. Several floating robots were speeding below them, and everyone screamed.

"Run!" Sky yelled, immediately jumping onto a floating piece of the road. Sarah and Benny exchanged looks and they did the same.

They jumped on road after road, each of the platforms moving quickly. From the stray platforms grew buildings, which placed itself safely in the air. The walls of the city-like background of Ethan's dream broke apart into a clear sky, with floating skyscrapers and restaurant buildings. Hover-cars sped past them, and robots were carrying metal boxes and computer parts around to people at booths. Flashy signs floated around in the air, and Sky looked around, amazed.

"Floating buildings? Hover-cars? Robots?" Sky said as she safely landed on a platform with a building on it. "This can't be what I think it is…"

" _Mega-Champions: Foreshadows IV!"_ Benny exclaimed when he landed right beside Sky.

"My dream," Sarah murmured as soon as she got to where the two are. Sky looked at Benny with a frown.

"Her dream," she confirmed, and Benny shrugged.

"It's a good film," he retorted.

"Why would your dream be so...futuristic?" Sky prompted, looking at their new surroundings. Sarah shrugged.

"I guess I've always been skeptical of the future," Sarah answered. "I just want to know what's out there, I guess."

"I see that the meanings of these dream-scapes are getting more personal," Benny said, a bit unnerved at the sudden realization.

"It can't be a bad thing," Sky said slowly, still awestruck at what was around them. "We just need to find Sarah, and—"

" _Guys?"_ Ethan's voice suddenly echoed. " _Are you guys okay?"_

"A bit tired, but yeah," Sarah said. "We're in my dream, as you could already tell. I'm not sure how we are going to find myself in here."

" _Did you try calling me?"_ Ethan asked

"What?" Sarah asked in shock. "What do you mean 'call me'?"

" _You're in the future, right?"_ Erica explained. " _Chances are, you're probably with Ethan."_

Sarah frowned. "This was Ethan's idea, wasn't it."

" _Just want to make sure you weren't hesitating,"_ Ethan said nonchalantly, and Sarah's frown curved into a small smile. She pulled out her phone and dialled Ethan, and everyone heard a ring in the air.

Sarah smiled, flying up in an instant and speeding off in the air. Benny and Sky exchanged looks, and in a matter of seconds, everything around them started to spin around and blurred their vision with white.

" _It worked,"_ Sarah's voice echoed in the air, and the two teens smiled to themselves, watching the city in the sky turn into—

"A snow-covered forest," Sky murmured at their new surroundings. "We're...in my dream."

It was oddly peaceful as well, Benny noticed. The bare-leafed trees were all around them, and they were walking in fluffy snow. It was softly sprinkling more snow on their hair and all around them, coating nearby evergreen bushes and the tips of pine trees.

"Why do you think it's like this?" Benny asked curiously. Sky shrugged.

"Maybe 'cause I'm super chill," she prompted, "literally."

Benny mustered up a smile, and continued to look around the forest, fantasized.

"I kind of...just want to stay here for the rest of my life," Benny murmured, touching a pine leaf as bits of snow fumbled off at its touch. Sky frowned.

"That's what I usually say about my dreams too," she muttered, realization hitting her. She looked at him with wide eyes.

"I have to wake up," she said quickly. Benny cocked his head forward, confused.

"Come again?" he asked quizzically. "Why would you want to leave this place? In my opinion, it's much better than the real world."

' _You should stay,'_ a voice in Sky's head whispered. ' _You don't even like the real world; why go back to the real world? The real world is boring, the real world is stupid, the real world isn't idealized, the real—'_

"Shut up," Sky hissed at the imaginary voice. Benny frowned.

"You hear that too?"

Sky looked at him before something behind caught her attention.

Spreading slowly across the snow were black patches of darkness, coating the snow-covered ground with its mist. Sky backed away slowly, and Benny seemed to see it through her eyes.

"What the heck is that?" Benny exclaimed in shock, turning around to see it in one swift motion, before scrambling to Sky's side. She instinctively placed a hand on her stomach, dragging Benny backwards.

"We need to get out of here," Sky whispered. "This isn't an idealized world, and I'm not about to lose you to whatever I've been losing to as well."

' _What are you talking about?'_ the voice said again, this time, the familiarity sinking in. ' _This is the world you want. Isolated in a warm, snowy paradise, with the boy you love. What else could go wrong?'_

"For starters," Benny yelled at the non-existent voice and pointed to the dark mist, "that one!"

' _Ah, the darkness?'_ the voice purred. ' _Well that's something we deal with all the time, isn't it, Sky?'_

"That's me," Sky whispered, tears threatening to fall. "That's me talking. Benny, I have to wake up right now, b-before something happens—"

"Take a deep breath and relax," Benny whispered. "Maybe you need to talk it out with yourself. Remind yourself that you will never be in an idealized world where your depression doesn't exist. You have to remind yourself of that, okay?"

Sky looked at his emerald eyes and muttered, "Okay."

"Because that's an okay thing."

"Of course."

"Then knock 'em dead," Benny said with a small smile, kissing her cheek. She blushed, and then snuck a glance of the darkness coating the white snow.

"What about you?" she asked.

"What about me?"

"You'll be alone," she said quietly. "None of us have been alone in here. If I was alone here, I would've had fear consume me whole. And Mark…"

"...doesn't like me," Benny finished slowly. Sky nodded sadly.

"He could do something to you," she pointed out.

"He always does things to me," Benny retorted. "I'm always the centre for danger because he is the antagonist. He poisoned me, set someone to kill me, lied to me, beat me; all for the same reason of his dislike of me."

Sky managed to laugh. "I guess you're right."

Benny saw her expression soften, and he rubbed her shoulder reassuringly.

"You're going to be okay," he said. "I would much rather be alone than you have to be in any danger. For you and our baby."

Sky blushed. "Of course I'm okay."

Benny frowned, confused for a split second before he watched her turn around and look at the sky.

"I'm okay," she yelled, "with being depressed!"

His mouth curved into a small smile.

"I am sad sometimes, and that's okay, because there will never be a moment when I'm not," she said confidently. Slowly, but surely, bits of snow turned into small flames on the ground, the sky around the snowy forest cracking with bits of fire and molten lava.

Benny's eyes widened — this was going to be worse than he thought.

"But there are things that can make me happy," she continued. "There are things that will always make me sad and will tear me apart, but I will always be happy of where I am!"

"S-Sky," he stuttered, watching the world spin. "I-I changed my mind, I'd like to stay here, it wouldn't be bad if we just stayed for a while—"

"You aren't going to win!" Sky exclaimed determinedly, watching pieces of the sky fall like rubble from a ceiling. They were burning now, and Benny and Sky were raised by rocks of lava. " _I'm the winner here!"_

"Sky!" Benny yelled as he watched a ball of fire zoom right through the hologram of Sky, her eyes widening at the sudden danger.

"Wai _t, Benny—"_

* * *

Sky shot up, panting heavily. Her breathing evened out when she saw Sarah, Ethan, Erica, and Rory circled around here.

"Are you okay, Sky?" Rory asked right away. "Where were you guys?"

"I-I don't know," Sky mumbled, rubbing her head.

"We tried talking you through your ear," Ethan explained, "but it didn't work for some reason. All we heard were airy whispers...kind of eerie."

Sky looked around frantically and almost yelled, "Where is Benny?"

"Still asleep," Erica informed. "Though shouldn't you already know—"

Suddenly, Benny screamed, still in his slumber. He thrashed around in his spot on the ground, yelling indecipherable pleas.

"Benny!" Sky yelled, running to his side and in attempts at holding his hand, was smacked in the face by accident. She was thrown back while the others tried to help Benny.

"Benny, are you there?" Ethan exclaimed, trying to talk through his ear. "You need to tell us if you're okay—"

"Please don't take them away from me!" Benny screamed, eyes shut. "I don't want them to leave! You can have me, I swear; you just can't take them away like you do with everyone else!"

"I need to go back," Sky said hastily, grabbing Benny's spellbook from his bag and flipping through the aged pages.

"Sky, you can't go back in there!" Sarah protested.

"Yeah, there has to be some other way — a safer way!" Rory added, but Sky shook her head, placing a hand under the bind of the book and holding it in her left palm. She extended her right hand towards Benny's forehead and snuck a glance at her friends.

"We never did things safely around here," Sky said, her hand glowing. "You out of all people should know that."

Without warning, she said the spell and—

* * *

" _You have to help me, Sky."_

Sky opened her eyes and found herself falling forwards, everything speeding up as she went through the lava and floated through the fiery dream-scape realm.

"Benny?!" Sky screamed, swimming through the floating blobs of lava that seemingly didn't affect her.

" _You're gonna help me, aren't you, Sky?"_ His voice floated around in the air, and Sky tried to pinpoint where it was coming from.

" _Because he's dead."_

Sky's eyes widened, and saw that _Ethan was on the ground, knife in his head._

" _And she's dead too."_

Sarah was right beside him, stake in her chest, arms, and legs.

" _And him."_

Rory's lifeless body on a wall of molten lava, slowly burning a hole through his chest.

" _And her."_

Erica's slitted throat and parted lips. Sky nearly threw up.

" _ **And you will be too"**_

"This isn't Benny, is it," Sky said to seemingly nothing. The voice laughed.

" _Good deduction, Skylar,"_ Mark's familiar voice rang in her ears. " _Glad you solved it. See, Benny is never in control of his own dreams. Did you notice that started with_ _ **you?**_ "

"Shut up," Sky hissed.

Mark laughed. " _I'm not talking, Sky. I'm not here, Sky. I'm somewhere else, Sky. Benny doesn't know that though, does he..._ _ **Sky."**_

" _HELP ME!"_ Benny's voice cried. Sky whipped her head at the sound, and saw that Benny was on some cliff of what seemed to be a volcano. Lava fell like a waterfall past him, and Sky flew as quickly as she could.

"Y-You need to help me, Sky," he murmured, falling on his knees. "We should've n-never left. It's dangerous here, everything's too real, and _he's here."_

" _I am,"_ Mark laughed, and Benny squeezed his eyes shut at the noise. " _I'm only here because you allowed me to be here. You're so foolish, thinking everything is just_ _ **a dream.**_ "

"Benny, you need to take my hand," Sky ordered, extending a hand.

" _Be afraid, Weir,"_ Mark cackled. " _She's fake because_ _**she's dead.**_ "

"This is just a dream, Benny!" Sky yelled over the rising wind. Benny opened his eyes and stared up at Sky, who seemed to be radiating in this indescribable light.

" _I'll be there as soon as I can, but I'm busy mending the broken pieces of the life I had before!"_ Mark hissed mockingly.

"You have to remember that you are okay!" she yelled. "You're at home, where you belong! Your mind can't hurt you unless _you let it!"_

" _ **You can't escape!"**_ Mark screamed. " _ **You aren't safe! Soon, I will get you, and you'll be dead! ALL OF YOU!"**_

Benny grabbed Sky's head, and everything shattered into pieces.

* * *

" _You're okay, see? Everything is alright, just like I told you it would. That was a very brave thing you did, Benny. I am so proud of you — I wish I could hug you and tell you that. And now all you need to do is wa_ ke up, Benny. Can you wake up for us?"

Benny opened his eyes at the sudden change of voices. He stared ahead, and all he saw was Sky.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," he said with a small smile, slowly rising up as his heartbeat slowed down. "I love you. You know that, right?"

"Of course," Sky said, wrapping him in a hug. Everyone left them be, moving to the kitchen to make sure everything was alright. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"I will be, once I get help," Benny murmured in her shoulder. "And I promise I will be. I'll get the help you want me to get, I swear. _I want to get better."_

Sky smiled.

" _That's my boy,"_ **they both said.**

* * *

 **a/n- well wasn't that a chapter, huh? you will see the progression of that last bit throughout the story if you get it ;)**

 **anyway, drop a review if you liked it if you like, and i will see you in the next chapter ^-^**

 _ **שמור על שמירה על (hebrew)**_


	5. The Doctor Is In

**a/n- wassup? it be tobn here with a brand new chapter of friends forever!**

 **last chapter was a bit of a cute and trippy one, huh? lots of humour, angst, and some romantic stuff! isn't that the best :P and i also slipped some teasers for future characters and chapters, so get ready for that :P**

 **this one is going to be really dark and angsty. like, super dark and mature. so if you aren't into that kind of stuff, i would suggest you turn back. though let's be honest, this series has taken a dark turn. nonetheless, let there be a warning for you all :)**

 **shoutouts to...**

 **fangerdanger6- i had a lot to squeeze in a few thousand words :P though i am really happy you enjoyed it so much! there is so many character secrets that are gonna collide in a few chapters, but that's to be discovered ;) thank you for the kind review ^-^**

 **bennyweirlover17- thank you! it is only going to escalate from here ;)  
**

 **daeviongaines1- i am really glad you think so! i mean, i would suggest reading through the whole series so you know what is happening, but that is going to be a long progress, so read on, friend :)**

 **mbav fan66- hmmm i guess you'll have to see, my friend ;) and platonic skythan is kind of cute, even if it is besky forever :P and mark has done some good unknowingly. what do you know :P anyway i hope you like this chapter, fanfic buddy! thank you for the review :)**

 **alright alright alright! let's get this done :D**

 **disclaimer: i still don't own mbav or its characters, but i own sky and my plot-i-o :D**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

Friends Forever: Chapter 5: The Doctor Is In

* * *

When the day came that Benny went to his first therapy session, he felt like _he_ was the one who was going to throw up.

It was a bad day to start with. He fell out of his bed, his phone was at eight percent, and as he trudged down the stairs with his shirt on backwards, he made his way to the kitchen.

"Morning, grandma," he muttered, half-awake.

" _Morning, sweetie."_

He saw her at the kitchen table, with a plate of waffles and a mug of coffee on a placemat.

"Waffles?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. When he looked up, he saw his grandma smile.

" _Just how you always like it."_

Benny blinked, and she was gone. He blinked again, and he saw a small piece of paper neatly folded near the plate. He picked it up and squinted.

' _bad night last night. very bad.  
but it is a new day. smile — i'll meet you at your place at 7 to walk you to school. ~ sky x'_

Benny frowned — he didn't remember last night.

Nonetheless, it didn't stop him from sitting down and quietly picking up his fork. And when he realized the house was too quiet and _it was Tuesday,_ he went into the living room and played his grandma's loud, obnoxious Mexican music.

He washed the dishes and hummed quietly to a song he didn't understand. He blindly put a hand on the kitchen counter, expecting five dollars to be nearly sitting there, _but it wasn't there._

"Stupid 'Taco Tuesday'," he muttered, going upstairs to change before Sky got here.

At the top of the stairs, he saw _her_ again.

" _Benjamin, it's quarter to seven and you haven't brushed your teeth."_

Benny blinked and she was gone. He extended a hand forward and touched the space she took up, as if she was still there; with her arms crossed and her steely eyes looking up at him.

"Not real," he said loudly, as if proving a point to no one, and waved his hand dismissively as he walked through the disembodied memory.

The doorbell rang exactly fifteen minutes after, and Benny slipped on his dark green stripes polo.

"It's open!" he yelled, grabbing his brush and digging it through his messy hair in the mirror.

" _Tsk, tsk, Benjamin. Always in a know girls like boys with nice hair"_

"Grandma," he whined loudly.

"...Benny?"

Crap, she was in the house. He didn't even remember letting her in.

"Up here," he said instead, and heard her go up the stairs. Eventually, she was in his doorway.

"Hey!" she chirped.

"Hey," he replied flatly, grabbing his messenger bag and slinging it over his shoulders.

"Ready to go?" she asked. Benny didn't respond, and she meekly added, "Do you, uh, want to take an Advil before we leave, or…?"

She trailed off, looking like she expected him to apologize. Benny frowned instead.

"Advil?" he echoed.

Sky pressed her thumbs together anxiously. "You know...because of last night?"

"Last night?" Benny massaged his temple. "Yeah, I meant to ask you about that. What happened last night? And...how did you get in my house?"

Sky looked down. "You drank again last night and drunk dialled me. I went over and you let me in before passing out on the staircase, so I made you waffles because I, uh, figured you'd like that."

Benny frowned _—_ he could see bits of it coming back to him, but not all of it was piecing together.

"I-I guess it was first-therapy-day jitters," he weakly joked.

Sky nodded sadly. "Yeah, maybe."

She stared at him for a minute _—_ Benny's mind helpfully placed thoughts of disappointment and disgust _—_ and Sky shook her head.

"No bother," she finally said. "Let's go to school and you try to...get your mind off things for this afternoon."

Benny smiled softly. "I'm not dreading today."

He was lying through his teeth, but Sky couldn't be bothered to say anything.

"Even if I won't be there?"

"I can call you," he reassured. "Besides, it's not like one therapy session can kill me."

Bad choice of words. Sky's smiled nonetheless.

"Let's go to school." He couldn't tell if she was sad or angry.

Benny nodded wordlessly, and Sky walked out and down the stairs.

"How did they stay warm?"

Sky looked up at him on the top of the staircase.

"Pardon?"

"The waffles," he explained. "How did they stay warm?"

Sky smiled meekly. "Heat spell."

"Nice," Benny chuckled, walking down the stairs to catch up with her. He hesitated, and placed a kiss on her cheek by surprise.

"Thank you," he said earnestly. Sky smiled at him, and as she wordlessly walked out the door, he looked back and said, "I'm leaving, Grandma."

He closed the door before he could scold himself, and remembered to lock it because, _"Have a lovely day, dear. And don't forget to lock the door."_

* * *

Benny dug his hands in his pocket as he waited in line at the receptionist's desk. A faint song was playing in the background, and he quietly hummed along.

When the person in front of him walked away, he took a step forward and was greeted with a blonde woman with big, black-framed glasses.

"Hi!" she chirped. "Do you have an appointment?"

Benny's cheeks went bright red, suddenly nervous. "Um, yeah. I, uh, have an appointment with...Dr. Vee?"

The woman looked down, brushing a few stray papers off her keyboard and typed fast enough to make Benny dizzy. She then looked up at him and pushed her glasses up.

"Benny Weir?" she asked. Benny nodded, and her smile changed into somewhat of a smug grin.

"So you're the guy she always talked about, huh?" she said as she began fishing through the papers on the desk. "Wow, you're definitely...not what I expected."

Benny blinked. "P-Pardon?"

Her eyes went up in a flash. "You have an appointment with Dr. Vee, yes?"

"Yeah...have we met before?" Benny asked, looking at her quizzically. She rose her eyebrow.

"Wait, you don't know?" she replied back as her smile fell.

Admittedly, the whole situation was starting to get on his nerves. The woman was looking at him as confused as he was.

"Um, may you just tell her that I am here? I'll, um, wait over there," he decided to say, and before he could leave, her arm was on his wrist. He visibly tensed, and the woman flashed him a pearly smile.

"Apologies, Mr. Weir," she said, pulling a package of paper up to the counter and sliding it towards him with a pen. "I just need you to fill out these mandatory sheets. Dr. Vee will see you in her office once you're done."

Benny hesitantly grabbed it and walked to one of the empty chairs, staring at the sheets of paper in his hands. He placed it on a nearby clipboard and began to read the questions.

The first page of questions were basic medical history, which he promptly filled out. Afterwards, there were sets of family-related questions that his brain helpfully supplied an answer for every question: no.

When he continued to read on, the words blurred in his eyes, and he realized that he didn't really _know_ the answer like they expected him to.

Under the section 'Behavioural', it asked him to circle the kinds of behaviours that he experienced. After consideration, he circled crying, drinking too much (hesitantly), withdrawal, sleep disturbance, outbursts of anger, and loss of control, before he realized _he was losing control taking this damn test._

He somehow managed to complete the questionnaire in twenty minutes. He finally set the package on his lap when his phone began to buzz. He jumped at the noise, startling a woman beside him, and he smiled apologetically as he picked up his phone.

To his relief, it was just Ethan. He smiled and press answer.

"Hello?" he asked, trying to keep his voice down.

" _Hey, B!"_ Ethan answered. _"Are you at Dr. Vee's office?"_

Benny smiled smugly. "Did Sky set you up to see how I was doing?"

Ethan paused, and Benny knew he was going to try and come up with some kind of lie. Ethan eventually laughed and answered, _"Well, there's no point lying to you."_

"Typical her," he said with a grin. "Is she at cheerleading practice?"

" _It's still weird for you to say that,'_ Ethan chuckled. _'Even if she has been on the cheerleading squad ever since Stephanie...um...died or whatever happened, it's still weird to say that we're friends with a cheerleader, let alone the leader of the squad."_

"Yeah, trying saying that you are in a relationship with one," Benny replied, sounding more bitter than he intended. He could practically hear Ethan's sympathetic smile.

" _Hey, how are you by the way?"_ he asked hesitantly. _"Do you, uh, want me to come over there and go with you for moral support?"_

Benny smiled. "No thanks, E. I think I'll be okay." He paused, and hesitantly added, "Counting that the weird receptionist stops being...weird with me."

" _Weird?"_ Ethan echoed. _"You know we specialized with weird. What did she say?"_

Benny shrugged, leaning back. "She just talked strangely. She told me that I 'wasn't what she expected' and that someone 'always talked about me'. She was also very confused when I told her I didn't know what was going on...there was something off about the situation."

" _Benny, maybe I should go there,"_ Ethan said slowly. _"I don't really like the sound of that."_

"Don't worry, E, there are plenty of people here to witness if anything goes wrong..." Benny joked, before turning around and realizing that _the room was completely empty._

" _Benny?"_ Ethan's voice was merely an echo in his ear as Benny saw the receptionist grin and the door opened to reveal a familiar face. His eyes widened.

"Oh my God," Benny murmured, nearly dropping the phone.

 _She_ sped up to him and grabbed him by the neck, and took his phone with a pearly smile.

"The doctor is in," _Annie Vee hissed,_ and she hung up his phone in one swift movement and punched him in the face.

Ethan called out his name one last time, and that was the last thing he heard.

* * *

"Benny?" Ethan tapped on his phone to see that the call had ended. He looked around the near-empty halls and realized that everything was still the same — this wasn't the case of a pocket-dimension, so why did _Annie Vee_ answer?

Suddenly, he heard giggling and cheery voices from the end of the hall. He turned around at the noise and realized that it was four o'clock — cheerleading practice was over.

"Good practice, girls!" Sky chirped. "Becky, your triple flip is getting better every day!"

"R-Really?" Ethan heard her shy voice and smiled when Sky praised her once more; leave it to Sky to change the 'bitchy cheerleader' trope.

"Sky?" Ethan called out. She turned around and smiled, briskly waving everyone goodbye and heading towards Ethan.

"Hey, E!" she said happily, waving her pom-poms at him jokingly. "Want to go for some burgers now that I am done practice? I don't think Benny will be out 'till five, so we have all the time in the world."

"You better hope that Benny will be out at five," Ethan muttered, digging his hands into his sweater's pockets. Sky frowned, lowering her pom-poms.

"Wait, what does that mean?" Sky asked, her smile suddenly falling. Ethan took a deep breath.

"Well, for starters, I don't think Benny's going to have a good time at therapy," Ethan said slowly. Sky frowned.

"Well of course he is; he didn't want to go in the start, but he'll eventually adapt—"

"Um, badly worded, let me try again," Ethan interrupted, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I just think that his therapist might be Annie Vee."

Sky's eyes widened. "Dr. Vee...Annie...holy crap, Ethan, I set Benny up with a resurrected vampire therapist?!"

"To your defense, none of us knew she was alive!" Ethan reasoned out, but Sky was already pacing the floor.

"Evelyn said that she drank H-Deficient spellmaster blood, and that she was a powerful vampire because of it," Sky said anxiously, piecing it together. "She warned us that this might happen, and we literally did nothing to stop it from happening!"

Ethan placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sky, you have to calm down."

"Calm down?!" Sky nearly screamed. "My boyfriend has been kidnapped by a psychotic vampire who has a thing or two that she probably wants to do to him...again!"

Ethan sighed. "Nothing will happen to Benny; he's been through hostage situations like this thousands of times before, and—"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!" she snapped, and Ethan reeled his hand back, slightly surprised. Sky took a deep breath.

"S-Sorry," she stuttered. "I didn't mean to."

"I know," Ethan said with a sigh. "To your defense, I wasn't really helping either."

Sky ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. "It's just that this isn't going to get him to feel better. He already had doubts about therapy, and if this goes wrong, he'll never want to go again, and he won't get the help that I can't give him, and—"

"Sky, breathe," Ethan said, touching her shoulder once more. "You aren't going to be able to help Benny if you are passed out on the ground."

Sky sighed. "You're right, you're right. I just need to know what we can do. Are you sure it was Annie on the phone?"

Ethan shrugged. "The girl said 'the doctor is in' like a sex-robot, so i can only assume so."

"Definitely her," Sky confirmed. "Though, I might know who to call."

* * *

Scarlet slammed the cabinet "What the _fuck_ do you mean Annie is back?!"

Erica rubbed the bridge of her nose, slightly unnerved, and muttered, "Well when you put it like that, it sounds like a big deal."

"It is a big deal, Erica," Scarlet growled. "My undead partner is back to life. If she finds out I abandoned her for the side she hates, she won't only kill you and your friends, but she is going to either kill me or fork me over to the Council, which will probably end in a sentence I would rather die than serve."

"She's right," Sarah agreed. "The Council will find out that you guys did these illegal blood drives, and if that isn't the issue, Annie probably has some liability that can grant you a staking, or even worse, permanent Vampire Council community service."

Rory shuddered at the thought. "I had to temporary Council service before — it was not fun. I thought it would get me community hours, but apparently the Council isn't a 'certified resource' and 'does not exist' according to my guidance counsellor. Weird, huh?"

Sky frowned, not wanting to know. Instead, she asked, "Do you think there's a way to stop her?"

"We staked her last time, right?" Ethan prompted. "The reason why she came back was the same reason as Mark: she drank H-Deficient spellmaster blood and since she was technically killed by Sarah, who is a vampire, she just came back as a vampire. Maybe this time we can't just stake her — she needs to go somewhere she can't get out of."

"But where?" Rory mused loudly, stroking his chin. Erica looked at him incredulously.

"Really, babe?" she deadpanned. "We sent almost every villain we ever faced to the Oblivion. At this point, there is bound to be some kind of revenge party against us that is happening in that inescapable limbo of darkness."

"Fair point," Rory agreed at last. "So what do you think? Are we going to blast that motherfucker to the Oblivion?"

"Unnecessarily worded, but yeah we are," Sky said with a small smile. She then faced Scarlet and meekly added, "Are you willing to help us?"

"As much as I shouldn't be helping you kids for my sake," She looked at them and sighed, "but I will help you."

Rory was the first one on his feet. "Yipee! I am so pumped! This is going to be a great adventure, am I right?"

He went over to give Scarlet a big squeeze, but she just stepped to the side, far enough that all he was catching was air.

"So what are we waiting for?" Scarlet asked with a small smile. "I got chart paper and markers — let's think of a plan."

* * *

Benny opened his eyes slowly, groaning inaudibly at the sharp stab of pain in his head. He blinked to clear the blurs in his vision, and realized that he was in an office. His hands were tied to the back of a chair with thick rope that was pressing against his skin.

It didn't take him long to also realize that he was gagged as well — despite him being the only sane person in this place — which was discovered when he tried to make a noise, only for it to be blocked out. Unfortunately, Annie heard him and spun around in her chair.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Weir," she said innocently, speeding to his side in a blink of an eye to rip the gag with a strong force, knocking him forward. He winced at the sudden pressure. She returned back to her desk, dangling the cloth in the air as if she just ripped off a bandaid.

"Why the hell are you alive," he gritted out. "I thought my friends staked you or something."

"Have you ever heard of what H-Deficient spellmaster blood does to someone?" she purred, dropping the cloth on the desk.

"I know a thing or two about it," he replied bitterly.

"Well, I was staked by your fangy dorks, so I came back as what killed me," Annie answered. "A bit drab, to be honest — would've rather been a _dragon."_

Benny's eyes widened. "How the hell do you know about Mark?"

Annie shrugged as if it was nothing. "I was looking for a job, and a little bird told me that this is the place to go."

"How the fuck did he know about this?!" Benny was starting to get mad, and Annie smiled when she noticed.

"Some secrets have to stay secrets, _honey_ ," Annie purred. "Besides, you look as broken as I last saw you on your knees."

She walked around the desk and towards Benny, who clenched his fists together behind his back.

"What's up with the frown, _babe?"_ she asked with a smirk. "You were the one who invited me in the janitor's closet all those years ago — all this of this is just an upgrade."

"Why do you want this, Annie," Benny asked, suddenly nervous. "What good will it do you? You already have my blood. You're one of the most powerful vampires in the world — why risk all of that for me?"

Annie laughed. "You make yourself seem so special, B. I am not doing this for you — I am doing it to kill you and your friends — the ones who pestered me from the beginning. Then it's back to getting my goody-two-shoes of a partner where she belongs."

"And then?!" Benny nearly yelled. "Once you do that, then what will you do?! You're a fucking villain with no plan — it will be easy for us to defeat you because you are eventually going to destroy _yourself!"_

"Shut up!" she screamed, and Benny was set back, jumping in his screen as Annie backhanded him. His head flew to the side, and he felt blood in his mouth.

She forcibly yanked him forward by the collar and flashed her fangs in his direction.

"You just wait, Weir," she hissed, eyes glowing yellow. "I will show you what it is like to be thrown to the side. I am tired of being playing by the rules, and you're about to witness me break 'em."

She smiled. "And do you think I am really quite reckless? Do you really think I am stupid enough to not have a plan?"

Annie sped to her desk and in a blur, returned back to Benny's side and dropped blood bags at his feet. He looked up at her, horrified.

She then pulled out Benny's phone and waved it in front of him.

"Password?"

"Why would I—"

" _Password,"_ she repeated again, eyes glowing blue. Everything was blurry for a few seconds, and next thing he knew, he was speaking words that weren't his. When his vision cleared, Annie had familiar voices on the phone.

* * *

"It's Benny," Sky whispered, looking down at the caller ID.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Erica said. "You have to answer it if we are going to figure out what's going on, don't you?"

Sky hesitated for a brief second, but answered the phone on speaker.

"Hello?" she asked shakily, and everyone gave her a bit of room, but proceeded to get close enough to hear what was happening.

" _Oh, are you the girlfriend?"_ Annie's voice confirmed everyone's thoughts. Sky gritted her teeth.

"Why the _fuck_ aren't you dead," she growled, and Ethan instinctively placed a hand on her shoulder in attempts of calming her down.

" _Well, you probably know that is thanks to Mr. Weir over here,"_ Annie purred. _"And as I called, I suppose I should update you on Mr. Weir's...appointment."_

"Annie, leave the kids out of this," Scarlet hissed into the phone.

" _Scalet! My goodness, I feel like it has been forever since we've chatted. How does it feel to be on the wrong side of the road — are you regretting choosing the path you took? You're about to."_

"Let Benny go," Ethan spoke up. "He has nothing to do with this."

Annie laugh. _"He has everything to do with this. If you can just see his face right now…"_

Sky was shaking. "Let him go, Annie. We'll come there and we can bargain something."

"Like Dr. Strange!" Rory cheered, and Erica elbowed him quietly. Annie's laugh echoed in their ears, which made Sky even more mad.

" _I see the dork squad remains, huh?"_ Annie practically cackled. _"You know, I don't think anyone has ever hurt him like I did. I don't think anyone has almost killed him like I did."_

A pause, and she said, _"Turn yourself in, Scarlet."_

"I have been cleared by the Council for my crimes, Annie," Scarlet said. "You can too, if you sincerely try. We can...we can have everything together; just like it used to be."

The whole room was eerily silent, before the phone screen showed a camera footage of a room with closed curtains.

Suddenly, the rustling stopped and the phone was adjusted to stand up on its own to show a steady picture of _Benny._

"Oh my god," Erica murmured. Sky remained quiet, but felt her stomach twisting.

Annie was nowhere to be seen, but they heard footsteps approaching Benny, all tied up in the chair with his head on his chest and his hair covering his face. Suddenly, the sound of a loud snap blew Benny's head to the side.

"Benny!" Sky screamed, and Ethan quickly took the phone out of her hands. Sarah tried to get Sky away from the phone, but nothing could stop her from watching.

Benny had tears and blood down his face, and an invisible force kicked him in the stomach. He nearly screamed at the pain, and it was at that moment that Sky remembered his injuries from before.

"Stop it!" she screamed, tears running down her face.

"Sky, please, for the love of God, don't look," Erica hissed, trying to help Sarah control her. Sky pulled back from Erica, her heart pounding louder than the voices around her.

" _Come and get him, dearies,"_ Annie whispered. Even if she was not visible to the camera, Sky could practically see her smile.

" _He's waiting."_

The phone went dead, and Sky felt everything spinning around in circles.

"We have to go get him," she said between short breaths, stumbling out of Sarah and Erica's grasp and blindly grabbing the keys to Ethan's car that was on the table.

"Sky, we don't have a plan, we—"

"I don't fucking care about the plan," she growled, "we need to get him because she was right. She was the closest one to ever killing him, and if you stop to think about it, she was the one who unraveled his biggest weakness. God knows what she'll do to him again...Benny…"

"Sky, sit down, please," Scarlet said calmly. "Goodness, you're burning up. You need to sit down and just breathe, please."

"I-I'm going to throw up," Sky stuttered, and Rory sped out of the room and back in with a small garbage bin. Sky didn't actually throw up — God, she lost enough dignity as to throw up in front of her friends — but she held it close to her, shaking.

"I don't want him to die," Sky whispered.

"He won't die," Sarah immediately said.

"B-But if he doesn't?" Sky nearly cried. "If he doesn't die, what will be left of him? He didn't want this in the first place, and now he will never want help again, and it's all my _fucking_ fault."

"Sky, you just need to be there," Ethan reassured her. "I know life is really not on your side right now, but the only thing you can do to make this worse is if you panic with him."

Sky took a deep breath, and then another, and then another, before she finally felt her heart rate slowing down. She looked up at them, and realized her hands were still shaking, but _that was fine._

"Let's go," she said quietly, but determinedly. "Let's do whatever we can."

* * *

Benny felt a throbbing pain in his head, and it didn't feel like it wanted to leave.

Hit after hit; it made Benny feel sick. He didn't know if he was seeing straight, but the only thing he could remember hearing was Sky's screams.

" _Stop it!"_

" _Benny!"_

She sounded hopeless, and it just got Benny thinking.

"Eyes open, dearie," Annie whispered in his ear, "the show's just starting to begin."

"Y-You'll never get away with this," Benny managed to say through clenched teeth. Annie slapped him again. His head limply followed.

"I've heard you've been to hell before," Annie continued. "How was it down there? Did you ever stopped to think that maybe you didn't need to go all the way to hell to experience _the worst torture in your life?"_

Benny didn't say anything, but if he really thought about it, she was almost right — sure, his near-death accidents have been very fatal (in fact, one was so fatal that it _literally killed him),_ but Benny could literally feel every bone in him shake and snap.

He just wanted help. Maybe that's what made it so painful. He just wanted to do something good for him, as other people convinced him that it was what he deserved, but that can't happen with him. Somehow, all needs to go to shit.

"How much can you take now?" Annie purred in his ear, and he could feel her cold lips on his skin. "Do you regret it now? Trying to make her jealous all those years ago, even if you don't need to make her jealous — no one would _ever_ want you _,_ and I don't see why she is an exception."

"Get the _hell_ away from him."

Annie looked up and hissed loudly, speeding up to Sky. Behind her was Ethan, Sarah, Erica, Rory, and Scarlet; but Sky's eyes held a fire that Benny recognized.

It was a fire he held too.

"Look who decided to show up," Annie mocked, grinning. "You're just in time to see everyone's favourite fuck-up."

Benny turned his head away, keeping it low in shame. Sky growled, raising her hand towards Annie.

"You don't have to do this, Annie," Scarlet said warningly. "You can leave with us and try to reverse what you caused. You can fix this, Annie — now is better than never."

"Sorry, Scarlet — this train has left, and you had your chance," Annie hissed with a pearly white grin. "Now you're going to _pay."_

"And how the hell are you supposed to do that?" Rory spoke up, moving forward. "With what army? It's just you — what the heck can you do?"

Annie smiled. "I can take you call down and knock you off this board. One. By. _One."_

Without warning, she sped up and grabbed Ethan by the collar and threw him across the room. Sarah's eyes widened as he landed on the table, pushing papers and office supplies down with him.

"Oh it's on now," Sarah hissed, flashing her fangs and storming towards her. She threw a punch at her. Annie grabbed Sarah's fist and attempted to wrestle her down, but Sarah stayed up strong.

As Annie fought off between the four vampires, Sky went over to Annie's desk to help Ethan up.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly, and Ethan wearily nodded, rubbing his head.

"Fine," he muttered, wiping the blood off his forehead, "though my mom is probably going to go on a murder spree if she saw what happened to my face."

"I think I know a healing spell, give me a minute," Sky said, closing her eyes and touching the big cut on Ethan's forehead. Ethan pulled back before she could say anything.

"Don't," he whispered. "That takes energy. You need your energy."

"But last time, with Shadow, I—"

"I'm not the one who needs it," Ethan said firmly, cutting her off.

His eyes travelled behind her, and she followed to see who he was looking at. She stared at him wordlessly and began to go towards him. Ethan followed while the vampires were distracting Annie.

When she got there, she knelt beside Benny, who was muttering indecipherable words under his breath. She lifted his head by his chin gently, and nearly gasped at what she saw.

A trail of blood leaked from the corner of his lip, and his right eye was badly bruised. He looked as if he was trying not to cough, but Sky felt a burning in her stomach — the one she used to get when Benny was in trouble from before.

' _ **H-Hurt…'**_ Her spellmaster's instinct allowed her to hear Benny speak for the first time in what seemed like a long time, even if it seemed broken and disoriented.

' _I know you are,'_ Sky thought, hoping she wasn't too rusty at the telepathic connection ordeal. _'Can I touch you?'_

' _ **Always can,'**_ he answered honestly, _**'but d-don't...get hurt…'**_

Sky smiled wearily as Ethan began to untie Benny from the chair.

' _I can heal you.'_ She could've said it out loud, but she knew Ethan would get mad at her because of earlier. Luckily, Benny had the same mentality as his friend, and replied, _**'I don't want you to waste your energy'**_

"I don't want you to die." She didn't realize she said that out loud, and Ethan looked at her with concern, while Benny looked at her with guilt.

"S-Sorry," he whispered out loud for her to hear. "H-Hey."

Sky managed a smile, and suddenly heard a big crash behind her. The three of them turned around to see Rory, Scarlet, Erica, and Sarah on the ground, rubbing their heads.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Ethan said, rushing towards the vampires as Sky helped Benny walk, swinging his arm around her shoulder.

"Fine," Sarah gritted out, frustrated. Ethan helped her up.

"Though I don't know how much we can handle anymore," Erica feebly added. "She is strong."

"What an OP villain," Rory grumbled, standing alongside the rest of the vampires.

"We can go on forever, and ever, and _ever,"_ Annie said with a laugh. "I'm just barely warmed up. Are you pussies that bad? You were better last time."

"What do you want, Annie?" Scarlet hissed. "Do you want to kill us? Do you want this to end in death?"

Annie looked at Scarlet for a few seconds, and for a split second, it was almost like something in her _changed_. She crossed her arms.

"You wanted to bargain, didn't you?" She smirked. "Let's bargain."

Everyone stood in an uncomfortable silence, and Benny squeezed Sky's hand. She looked at him, leaned on her as if his life depended on it.

"How about this," Annie finally said. "I will leave you and Whitechapel alone forever. I will never so dare to set foot in this town again."

"If?" Erica prompted.

"If," Annie flashes a fang-filled smile, "Benny finishes what he started."

Everything went silent, and all Benny could hear was faint buzzing.

"What does that mean?" Rory asked, eerily quiet.

"One minute," Annie explained sharply. "I want one minute with Benny. I want all of you to watch what he was willing to do all those years ago, and I want him to _finish it."_

"No," Sky said sharply, holding Benny close. However, Benny pulled back.

"Fine," he said seconds after, and began to walk towards Annie. Sky grabbed his wrist, and he turned around slowly.

"Don't," she whispered, "please."

"There has to be a different way, B," Ethan agreed quietly.

' _ **This is for you,'**_ Sky heard in her mind. _**'Your life over my minute-long death. I would choose it every time, and so would you.'**_

"Fast choice," Annie said smugly, watching as Benny, head down low, walked towards her. "Someone was desperate for something they can't get."

Benny said nothing. Annie reached in her drawer and pulled out some kind of collar, and circled behind him. She wrapped it around his neck, and Benny winced at how cold it was.

"Disobedient animals," she whispered against her ear, "always deserve a _shock._ "

"You're sick," Scarlet growled. Annie ignored her and watched as Sarah stepped forward.

"Benny, darling," Annie said, looking at them innocently, "protection."

"Benny, no," Sky said warningly, but he looked at her and felt as if the room held only them.

' _ **Trust me.'**_

He whispered Latin under his breath and a holographic grid of blue divided him and Annie from his friends. Sky sobbed in Ethan's shoulder, and Annie began.

"Sixty," she whispered as she grabbed his collar and unbuttoned his shirt, "fifty nine."

Sky couldn't look. She couldn't believe she was letting him do this for their sake. The room felt too tight, and the spotlight on Annie and Benny felt too bright.

' _ **I keep forgetting this is a thing,'**_ Benny's voice suddenly echoed in her ear. _**'Been busy talking my mouth rather than calmly doing it...here.'**_

' _Benny, I want you to get out of there right now,'_ Sky thought quickly. _'Break the divider and just come here...please…'_

Benny remained quiet, but he looked as if he had a plan. His polo was stripped off, revealing a bare chest of healing scars and new-blossomed bruises. Annie ran her finger against his chest, and he stiffened at her cold touch.

"Fifty-one, fifty," she whispered, "my god, you a broken toy, huh? What makes you think you're deserving of playtime?"

' _ **Sky, I need you to do exactly as I say.'**_ Benny's voice sounded broken in her ear, as if he was struggling to focus on the same thought. _**'I need you to break the barrier when I say so, but none of you can move. This has to be completely silent.'**_

Sky looked up and their eyes met. This was when Sky realized that Benny was crying, and Annie was holding the remote that controlled the collar, using her free hand to wrap the belt around Benny's chest.

"Forty-seven," she hummed, "forty-six…"

Benny moved silently so that his back was against the wall, and Annie smirked, pressing against him with her back towards the barrier.

' _ **N-Now,'**_ he said.

Sky said the spell, and the barrier quietly shattered. Ethan quickly moved up, but Sky pulled him back. They made eye contact, and Ethan's eyes held confusion. Sky turned to see Benny, being grinded against the wall, and Sky shook her head, mouthing "trust him".

They all stood to the side, watching as Annie toyed around with Benny's hair. Benny sobbed loudly, shattering Sky's heart, and Annie pulled back.

"My, my," she said out loud, facing the gang. Sky stiffened, worrying that she would catch them in the act, but Annie remained oblivious. She rose her remote to Benny's eye level and smiled.

"Big boys don't cry," she said, and turned the dial to a three before pressing a button. Sky's hand was over her mouth as Benny writhed in pain, gritting his teeth to keep him from screaming.

' _Benny, you have to let me help you,'_ Sky begged him.

' _ **T-Trust,'**_ he said in a scratchy voice, _**'please.'**_

Sky helplessly watched as Benny leaned against the wall, and put a hand on Annie's chest gently. Annie smiled, and with one hand, pulled his pants down. He was nearly naked, new bruises and old scars covering his body.

Sky couldn't watch anymore. She turned around, her hand still on her mouth to keep her from screaming. Sarah, Rory, and Erica turned around to wrap her in an embrace, telling her it'll be okay. Scarlet and Ethan helplessly watched, trying to think what Benny was doing.

"Forty-one," she said smugly, using her free hand to trace around the waistline of Benny's boxers. "Forty."

Benny looked at Annie in the eyes.

"Y-You can use me," he suddenly spoke, making Sky turn around, "but you won't hurt anyone e-ever _again."_

Without warning, Benny said an oblivion spell as loud as he could. Before she could turn into ash, she whipped out the collar's remote and turned the dial as far as possible. She pressed the button with one final scream, and the remote fell to the ground along with her ashes.

"Benny!" Sky exclaimed, and Benny felt a big stab of pain shoot through his body. He screamed at the shock, crumpling to his knees. He heard his heart race through his skin.

"His heart's racing," Scarlet said, going on her knees beside Benny. She then faced Sky and asked, "You need to extract the electric current in his system. It sounds impossible, but because of his spellmaster blood, it gives power to the shock and has to be removed."

"I-I don't know if there is even a spell like that," Sky said, conjuring up her spellbook, "and even if there is, I don't know if I am powerful enough to do it."

"You are," Erica reassured. "You're one of the most powerful spellmasters I know."

"You only know two," Rory retorted, and Erica rolled her eyes.

Sky held the spellbook in her left hand and placed a hand on Benny's racing heart. She said a spell and a warm glow of yellow light spread across Benny's chest. Sky could feel a buzz shoot through her arm, but when she pulled her hand back, excess sparks flew from her fingertips.

"Transfer of electrical energy," Ethan noted, "nice."

"Is that science or magic?" Rory asked, almost bored at his own words. Sky shrugged, focusing her attention on Benny.

"Benny," she whispered. "Come on, B, wake up."

Benny groaned at her touch and turned on his side, almost as if he was trying to sleep. There was a large bruise on his cheek from constant hitting that was just beginning to form, and Sky tried not to let it faze her.

"Let's go home," Sarah said quietly. "We can figure out what to do from there."

* * *

Benny's eyes slowly fluttered open, and he realized that Sky was lying down on his chest, sleeping. He could feel kicking in her stomach, and smiled at the thought.

Everything hurt, but those tiny kicks of life meant the world to him.

"Benny, you're awake," He heard Rory say, and he rose up slightly to see everyone circled around his couch.

"How long was I out?"

"Quite a while," Ethan answered. Benny lifted a hand to rub the bruise on his cheek, but to his surprise, he felt nothing.

"I...don't think I was bruised up as badly as someone who just got kidnapped, tortured, and nearly raped."

"Sky healed you," Sarah answered. "It, um, kind of explains why she's sleeping it off."

Benny looked down at Sky, who was sleeping soundly, and gently lifted her head off his chest and onto the couch. He sat up and looked at everyone's concerned faces. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm fine, geez," Benny said with a roll of his eyes. Scarlet sighed.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," she said. "At least now we'll never actually hear from her again."

"To think I was actually considered going to therapy," Benny laughed darkly.

"Benny," Erica started out warningly, but Benny shook his head.

"There wasn't really any point, was there?" Benny said almost desperately. "How can I get help at all? I am literally a broken piece of garbage."

"You can start by not drinking as much," Rory muttered, and everyone turned around to face him, almost incredulously. Rory shrugged, and added, "What? I read Scarlet's diagnosis."

Benny rose an eyebrow. "You...diagnosed me?"

Scarlet shrugged. "I was a therapist, once upon a time. Sky told me a lot about what you've been going through."

Benny remained quiet. Sarah frowned.

"Why don't you just talk to Scarlet?" Sarah asked. Benny and Scarlet exchanged looks, and Sarah continued to say, "I mean, she is your friend. It'd be less like a doctor's appointment and more of a...deep, 2 AM conversation."

All eyes went on Scarlet, who shrugs and said, "Only if you'd like to."

Benny smiled shyly at her, and then down at Sky and replied, "You know what? I think I would."

* * *

 **a/n- bringin' back some old telepathic connections. why hasn't that made more of an appearance :P**

 **anyway, that happened! i hope you liked it and what not — god knows when the next chapter will come. probably when i am not buried in a bunch of school work, am i right :P**

 **thank you for reading! drop a review if you liked it if you like, and i will see you soon. byeeee :D**

 _ **tetep dina ngajaga di (sundanese :D)**_


	6. Supernatural Society of Whitechapel Pt 1

"Come on, dear, it'll be a good experience for you!" Sky's mom chirped, sliding a mug of tea across the table and in front of Sky. "It can be an opportunity to learn more about your magic, and the chance doesn't come to everyone."

Sky sighed, tapping the handle of the mug softly, staring at the pamphlet reading "Weekend at the Supernatural Society of Whitechapel!".

"I don't know, mum. There's too much going on lately, and I don't even know if I am up for it, let alone everyone else."

"I talked to Ethan's parents already," Sky's dad cut in. "They already talked about it with Ethan and he said it would be fun."

"I'm not Ethan," Sky grumbled in protest. Sky's mom sighed, and sat down across from her.

"Is this the hormones talking," she says gently, "or is this something else?"

Sky looked away, blushing. Sky's dad groaned loudly and said, "God, I hope it isn't the hormones."

"Honey!" Sky's mom scolded, and her dad laughed. Sky bit back a smile as well.

"It might be something else," Sky admitted softly. "I don't even know if this has anything to do with me."

"Care to elaborate?" her mom asked. Sky shrugged half-heartedly.

"It sounds like a lot of fun, it really does," Sky finally said. "I think it might even be a realistic choice for me — I looked at the programs, and while there are regular university programs, there are also enhanced magic courses, which sounds like loads of fun."

"Then what's stopping you?" her dad asked, walking into the kitchen to join them.

"Everything," Sky said with a sigh. "There's just too much going on. From regular Whitechapel mishaps, and Mark being loose, and _Benny._ God, I didn't even think about Benny — he wouldn't even want to go."

"It seems like you think you're not the only one who doesn't want to go," Sky's mom said.

Sky frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Well Sarah and Erica came over the other day and asked if you were going when you were out volunteering," her dad explained. "Rory called yesterday afternoon to see if you were going to go to the university too; of course, this is because he found out there were free t-shirts. And you already know about Ethan's situation."

"How about Benny?" Sky protested. "I don't want to overwhelm him. He has been through so much, and—"

* * *

" _You_ were the one who gave the pamphlet to my parents?" Sky asked in shock, leaning across the table with her hands pressed against the surface. Benny shrugged half-heartedly, sipping his coffee.

"I thought it could be cool," Benny said absentmindedly. Sky frowned.

"Is there something wrong?" Sky said. Benny looked up.

"Of course not."

"Benny, you've been tapping on the table for the last five minutes, and I think you're tapping it to 'We Will Rock You'."

Benny looked down at the millimeter gap between his finger and the table, and buried his hands underneath his legs.

"Okay, I've been getting this really weird feeling about the school," Benny admitted. "I dunno...I feel like the school holds something special. My spellmaster's instinct...I feel as if it is trying to tell me something, you know?"

Sky chuckled. "What other signs do you see, oh mighty one?"

Benny rolled her eyes. "I'm being serious, Sky. There was some weird vibe when the Earth priestesses visited and gave me the pamphlet. They said that there is a weekend introduction event for students interested, and as soon as I touched the paper...I don't know. There was something that told me that we should go there as soon as possible."

Sky blinked. "You really aren't joking about this, are you."

"We should go," Benny said again. "Ethan's right — it might be fun. And it is a good opportunity to see if a supernatural school is the right one for us. That kind of education might benefit us, you know. Plus, I really want to know what special stuff is in there."

"Are you sure you're up for it though?" Sky asked softly. Benny frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"The last few weeks have been rough for you, Benny," Sky pointed out. "I don't want to put the pressure of university into this — it's too early for you to be talking about the future, after everything that you went through."

"My future is pretty much set, Sky," Benny said, his voice suddenly darkening. "I buy the house, we can raise a family there, and—"

"And then what?" Sky snapped. "You keep dying?"

Benny blinked, and the air around them grew thick.

"Do you want to have this conversation right now?" he muttered. Sky bit back a scream.

"Yeah, I do," she said, trying to remain calm. "Benny, I care about you. And I don't want you to feel like you're alone in everything you do."

"Look, Sky," Benny said, "while I appreciate that support, you don't have to drag it in everything I do. Maybe I want to see what's going on in that school. Maybe it holds answers. I don't fucking know. What's important is that I want to go there because I feel like it's right, okay?"

Sky stared at him and looked down at the table. "Okay."

"Sky, for God's sa— wait, what?"

"Okay," she repeated. "We'll go."

"Seriously?" Benny asked, almost shyly. Sky smiled.

"It gives you hope," Sky finally said. "And that's something I don't know if I could give you anymore."

Benny smiled sadly, reaching over the table and grabbing her hand. He squeezed it reassuringly.

"We are going to find a way," he said after a patch of silence. "And I'm going to be here to help you, alright?"

Sky said nothing, but gave him the smile he was looking for.

* * *

Sarah, Erica, Rory, Ethan, Benny, and Sky all stood in front of the towering building on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

"This looks sick!" Rory said, tightly grasping onto his backpack's straps, watching people walk past them. "Man, I feel so cool."

"Maybe it's because I told you to skip out on the sunglasses," Erica replied, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, they would've made me look more cool!"

"Cooler," Sky corrected, nervously tapping the side of her leg. Sarah looked at her weirdly.

"Since when were you part of the grammar police?" Sarah asked smugly. Ethan sighed.

"One of her nervous ticks is correcting people," Ethan explained. "It's...kind of a new one, to be honest. I don't know where it came from."

"Maybe it came from dating spell-dork over here," Erica said smugly. Benny glared at her.

"Hey! I'll have you know that I am doing really good in English class," Benny retorted.

"Yeah, because you have Mr. Coutts," Ethan scoffed. "I swear all he does is let you guys go on Snapchat and watch Shakespearean plays with poorly-trained actors."

Benny rolled his eyes, and Sky pecked his cheek. "Don't worry, babe. The whole grammar thing is totally not because of you."

"Duh," Benny said sarcastically, letting a smile slip out.

Suddenly, they heard a bell rang, and more students moved swiftly past them. They all exchanged glances and moved with them into the school.

"Damn," Sarah said as soon as they walked in, slowing to a stop at the front door. "This school is even bigger than it seems from outside."

"It's three campuses, I think," Sky added, equally amazed as she looked up from the pamphlet. "Regular university classes are in the first and second building, and the supernatural classes take up the third one."

"Well that is a lot of bricks," Rory said giddily. "This looks so cool!"

"Which one are we in right now?" Ethan asked.

"Third," Sky answered. "They pretend this one is some abandoned hospital with some holographic projection over the school. Anyone who is a regular human will always see it as a hospital, but we see it as...this."

"Well security is obviously a priority," Erica said, a bit surprised.

"I don't see why it wouldn't," Ethan replied, still looking at the people around them. Some were flying in the sky, lifted by a whirlwind of magic dust, and some were in the air with wings out of their backs.

"This place just screams 'I'm not normal'," Erica remarked, a bit amused.

"I mean, this isn't a normal place," Sarah replied.

" _Attention, students,"_ a feminine voice crackled on the speakers. Everyone settled down, some floating to the ground once more.

" _This is Li—"_ The speakers buzzed loudly. "— _the vice principal here at the Supernatural Society of Whitechapel for the Educated Youth."_

"What was her name?" Rory asked rather loudly. Sarah shrugged, but before she could say anything, multiple students shut him up. Erica patted his shoulder sympathetically, biting back a small smile.

" _We are gla—"_ Crackle. "— _make it to the 75th annual 'Weekend at SSWEY'. We hope that your weekend is filled with wonder, magic, and learning about the new worlds you can be a part of."_

"I don't think speakers were a priority," Ethan whispered with a small smile, and Sky rolled her eyes.

" _The weekend is yours to explore — we shall reconvene at the end of the day for a dinner in the main dining hall, with a special foreword from the university's principal, Mr. Peter—"_

The speakers fade out again, and the last thing the students heard was, " _We hope you enjoy your stay!"_

The intercom buzzed off, and as if on cue, pieces of paper fell from the ceiling. Students laughed, amazed at the sight. Sky managed to catch one seamlessly, and her friends crowded around her.

"So this I think this is an itinerary of this afternoon and tomorrow as well," Sky explained.

"They fell from the ceiling!" Rory said excitedly, ignoring Sky. "Come on guys, how can you explain one?"

"We are in a supernatural school, babe," Erica said dully. "Come on. You're faster than this."

"You know I am!" Rory said proudly. Sarah winced.

"Dude," she grimaced.

"What's wrong about that?" Rory asked cluelessly. "I'm a frickin' vampire ninja!"

"Not what she meant, babe," Erica groaned, but it lifted into a smug smile as she added, "Though I can explain it to you when we get to our dorm room."

"We have a dorm room?!" Rory exclaimed excitedly. Erica rolled her eyes.

"Alright, so we have the whole afternoon to ourselves until dinner," Sky said. "There are quite a few classes specifying in lessons for vampires, spellmaster, Seers, and other cool stuff as well for multi-supernatural students."

"Look! There's a werewolf one!" Rory said excitedly. "Benny, _you_ can do that!"

"Rory, I'm not a werewolf. At least, not anymor—" Benny stopped, sighing. "not as much as I was before."

"Then who's howling in the middle of the night, huh?" Rory retorted. "How do you explain that?"

"Rory, that's you," Ethan said, rolling his eyes.

"Are we going to leave then," Sarah asked, "because I kind of want to check out 'Advanced Blood Substitute'."

"Why don't they just go ahead and call it 'Vampire Rehabilitation'," Erica said with a smug grin. Sarah stuck her tongue out at her.

"Well we have all our phones on us," Sky said, "so I guess if we need anything, we can just call each other."

"Alright, mom," Ethan teased. Sky flashed him a sarcastic smile.

"Come on, Sky" Rory said jokingly. "We separate every night — I don't think any of us will be getting lost anytime soon."

Everyone exchanged glances.

"Turn your phone off silent," Ethan said hastily, and everyone nodded, leaving Rory looking at them cluelessly.

* * *

"I cannot believe there is a class called 'Blood Types 101'!" Rory chirped excitedly, practically skipping down the halls. Erica and Sarah trailed behind him slowly.

"Of course there's a blood types class," Sarah grumbled. "You know, I am missing 'Advanced Blood Substitu'—"

"Blah blah blah," Erica teased. "Come on, Sarah; it's good to educate yourself on these very important topic."

"I know about blood typ—"

"Who will you never get blood from?" Erica blurted out. Sarah stopped in her tracks.

"Um...the Queen?"

"Introverts!" Rory called behind him, his voice bouncing towards them. Sarah rose an eyebrow.

"Introverts?" she echoed.

"Introverts," Erica repeated. "They have blood type A. They are usually introverted, shy, and won't approach you, or walk away from you."

"Really?" Sarah asked, astonished.

"Of course not," Erica snapped. "I got that from a _Playbuzz_ quiz. But if you were educated in the art of blood types, you'd know."

"Wait, what?" Rory said, spinning around. "Anastasia said no one was coming to me because they were all introverted blood A's!"

Erica closed her eyes, opening her mouth to say something, but giving up straight away, letting out a sigh. Sarah stifled a laugh, and the three of them walked into the classroom.

It looked like a standard lab — there were lab benches, surfaced with beakers and flasks, and textbooks lining the shelves on the walls. Rory immediately led them to the stools in behind a lab bench in the front of the class.

"Babe," Erica whined, stretching the word, "why are we so close?"

"To be the number one candidate for volunteering!" Rory responded as if it was obvious. Sarah rolled her eyes.

Before she could speak up, a short woman walked into the classroom. She wore a white blouse with tints of faded red on the left sleeve, and a maroon pencil skirt. She was young—perhaps in her early 20's—and had long, blonde hair wrapped around her shoulder.

She pushed her black rimmed glasses and smiled.

"So," she said, skipping the normal "hello" and opting to sit on the desk instead, "can anyone tell me what kind of people blood A are?"

Rory's hand shooted up and he blurts, "Introverts!"

Sarah groaned loudly, closing her eyes and sighing, and it took all of Erica's power not to scream.

* * *

"Shh, Benny," Sky giggled, following Benny, who was dragging her by the wrist across the aisles of books in the library. "Someone is going to hear us!"

Benny smiled. "Oh come on; dinner starts in twenty minutes. We have time before that, and no one is even here."

"I mean, you do realize some people actually want to use the library, right?" Sky retorted, trying not to laugh. Benny rolled his eyes.

"You're joking," he replied, and Sky lost it, laughing in his shoulder.

"What are we going to do anyway?" Sky said, her voice high and breathy against the crook of his shoulder. "Even if either of us want to, we can't — the last time we did that, you got me pregnant."

"Shut up!" Benny said, breaking into a few giggles of his own. He paused, and smugly said, "You can give you a wicked handjob."

"Oh my god, Benny," Sky groaned, smiling. She trailed her finger up Benny's chest to his chin, lifting it up slightly and adding, "How about you kiss me?"

Benny smiled softly, moving forward and bringing her into a long kiss. Sky felt herself leaning against him, turning around so that her back was against one of the bookshelves along a wall. Benny moved with her so that he was softly pressing her against the books and—

" _Click!"_

They both pulled back from the shelves, watching as a book that Sky pushed back resulted in the shelf to fade away, becoming translucent. It revealed a dark staircase, a trail of candles lighting the pathway along the walls. Benny cautiously reached his hand towards the translucent bookshelf, and watched as his hand passed through it.

"What the hell?" Benny murmured, pulling his hand back quickly.

"It's kind of like...a hologram?" Sky said slowly. "What book did I push back?"

Benny looked at the solid books and glanced at the one Sky pushed. It had an emerald green binding, but was dulled from age.

"All the binding says is… 'Who L.W Lost'," Benny said hesitantly. Sky watched his smile fall, and a dark cloud seemingly washed over him. He added, "I don't know what that's supposed to mean."

Sky frowned, looking down. "Should we even go down there? It looks really...dark and scary."

"And old," Benny added, glancing at the cobweb stuck to the rim of the candle holder. "It looks like it hasn't been cleaned for a while."

"What do you think this could even be?" Sky finally asked.

Before Benny could respond, the P.A crackled to life, and a familiar voice rang in their ears.

" _Good evening, Whitechapel."_

Benny and Sky exchanged looks, eyes widening.

* * *

"Look," Rory said, taking his seat at the long, wooden dinner table. "It's not my fault that I spilled the blood sample! But Jake bet me that I couldn't balance them all on my head, and what was I supposed to do?"

"Say no?" Ethan prompted sarcastically.

"Rory, that was ancient blood of an Earth Priestess," Erica scolded. "You don't know what would've happened if the 'Fantom Trapping' class wasn't doing a school clean-up."

"Missed opportunity for the reference," Sarah muttered.

"Well at least I didn't try to eat it and nearly get possessed!" Rory said defensively. Erica cocked her head forward.

"Babe," she said, "that was also you."

Rory broke into a dumb smile. "Yeah, it was pretty funny."

Erica sighed, kissing Rory's cheek and watching as the food was served from the long table.

"There 'ought to be, like, 100 students here," Ethan said.

"Yeah, how did they make this big of a table?" Rory said, and before Sarah could answer, a plate floated in front of him and onto the table, and Rory exclaimed, "Ooh, chicken!"

The P.A suddenly began to buzz and everyone fell silent.

" _Good evening, Whitechapel,"_ the voice said, " _this is your Principal; Mr. Peterson."_

"Peterso—?" Rory started, before the doors busted open and Benny ran in.

"Guys, it's Mark," Benny yelled, running towards him. "He has Sky, and he is—"

" _I hope you guys have a lovely weekend."_ The doors swing open again, and Benny is shot in the back with a stream of magic and is thrown over to the other side of the table. Sarah, Erica, Rory, and Ethan quickly went over to him.

Mark stood at the door, holding Sky by the neck. Benny got up to his feet, blood running down his forehead.

"I hope you are comfortable," Mark said, "because until I get what I need, you are all going to be staying in this university for a long, _long_ time."

Sky's eyes met Benny's for a split second, before both her and Mark were gone in a puff of smoke.


	7. Supernatural Society of Whitechapel Pt 2

Sky gasped for breath.

As soon as she came to, she felt her head spin. A rush of nausea washed over her, and she felt herself holding it all in because _she knew where she was._

She found herself in a dark room, a single lamp hanging from the ceiling that barely illuminated the room. The floor, the ceiling, the walls; all of them were concrete. She could hear footsteps above her—probably the frantic paces of the students above her; the students she was keep there, _trapped._

She could hear someone else's footsteps too.

"Feeling a bit sick, are we?"

She looked up and immediately wish she hadn't.

Because there was _Mark;_ standing there in a tuxedo that seemed too old for him. Black clashed against maroon against an aged-yellow tie. His hair was slicked back with gel, and his skin was paler than she remembered.

God, how long had it been since she's seen him. The last time their eyes held a stare for this long was when she found him with red hands and too-bright blue eyes. His eyes seemed to have dulled from when she last met with him, and the purple rings under his eyes seemed to be brighter.

And he was holding a bouquet of dried, red roses.

"Do you want me to get a bucket or something?" he asked, his accent ringing in her ears in a way that sent shivers down her spine. She blinked, and he was closer in a split second.

"I got you some roses," he continued, "the original ones. I found them in the trash after you threw them out when I died."

He scoffs and adds, "How inconsiderate."

Sky felt her fist tightening and she instinctively rose her hand before realizing, in that moment, she wasn't even bound to the chair she woke up in.

"I'm not—"

"Of course you're not," Mark cut her off, pushing the roses towards her chest. "I wouldn't do that to you. It'd cut off your circulation. You could _die._ "

"Oh, _fuck off_ ," Sky spat back at his mocks. Mark reeled back, now bringing the roses to his chest instead.

"Rude," he said. "Is that anything to say to your date?"

"Why the hell am I here?" Sky asked. Mark rolled his eyes.

"I didn't put ropes to your wrists because I thought that what I am about to do would be enough," Mark deadpanned. "Now I am beginning to realize that I overlooked the whole...gag decision."

Sky fought the urge to punch him, but his stare kept her down for a reason she couldn't comprehend. She felt her brain pound against her skull and she found the words she never knew were hers.

"Why are you here?" Her voice is softer now, a wave of déjà vu washing over her.

Mark grinned, holding out the dried roses again. "I know I said that I could love you in the friendly way, but I can't... _help it._ "

Sky felt goosebumps on her skin and stared into the dull eyes that have brightened harshly.

Mark leaned forward and planted kisses on her neck. Sky felt herself losing it, trying to push him off. But with every chance she got, she felt herself being pushed farther and farther into her mind until his lips grazed her cheek. He moved his lips to her ear.

"I love you a lot, Sky Bryans," he whispered, and it sent Sky's self-will to drain away from her and into his fingers that were ready to twist it into something else.

" _To the world's end."_

* * *

"We—"

"Before you say 'we need to get her back' or some other kind of crap," Erica cut Benny off, "can you at least try and help us control the hundred students _freaking out?"_

Much to his dismay, she was right; the dining hall was filled with supernatural students filled with fear. There were bolts of magic from spellmasters trying to break through the walls of the dining halls. Some students were trying to teleport through the sealed doors, but nothing was working.

"Guys?" Ethan called from the other side of the hall. "I think...I think this girl is sniffing me!"

Sarah glared in his direction and her eyes glowed yellow.

"Hey!" she growled. "Back off!"

As she went to deal with the blood thirsty vampire who pinned Ethan against a wall—"Her eyes are up there, Ethie," Sarah deadpanned, and Ethan blushed—Erica faced Benny again.

"So everyone's freaking out a little," Benny said slowly. "That can be controlled! And besides, Rory's not even doing any damage, and that is kind of the most important part!"

"Are you bloody serious," Erica deadpanned, pointing behind him. Benny turned around and his eyes widened to see Rory swinging on the chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling that looked dangerously close to falling.

"See, Jake?" he yelled to the crowd of students around him. "I told you I can swing from the chandelier with one ar— woah!"

Benny spun around quickly to avoid watching what resulted in the loud crash behind him. Erica looked at him, and he sighed.

"Fine, so we do have to get these people in control," Benny began, "but we also have to get Sky, and we don't even know where she is."

"Yes, I get that," Erica said sarcastically. "And speaking of blood, by the way, get your forehead a band-aid or something, and I think—really it's only an assumption—a group of vampires are getting kind of hungry and the rare steak stopped _falling from the ceiling!"_

"Erica, I don't need any of your sarcastic shit right now, okay?!" Benny snapped. "The main priority right now is getting out and then finding Sky. So since we seem to be the only non-panicking people here, can you tell me how the hell I do it?"

Erica looked at him, almost taken back. Benny realized that sparks were flying off the tips of his fingers, and he shoved his hands in his pocket.

"Okay, you're the only non-panicking person here right now," Benny gritted through his teeth. Erica nodded, somewhat satisfied, but didn't give off the smug smile she usually did.

"I feel like the first thing we could do is find the vice-principal, Ms. … something." Benny sighed.

"No help there," Benny said. "I heard someone pounding against her office, and I tried to get her out, but Mark was hot on my trail and it wouldn't open. I think she's stuck there."

"Did you at least get to see her name?" Erica asked randomly. Benny sighed.

"No," he said. Erica groaned. Benny looked at her incredulously.

"Hey, I'm sorry I didn't stop by for introductions to have cookies and a cuppa' tea!" he said defensively, and Erica crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.

"Fine, so we don't have any sign of authority in here," Erica said. "That's fine. Maybe we can get some of these people to band together and try and start some revolution to get out of here."

"That could work," Benny said, realization hitting him. "We just need to find a way to settle them all down—"

" _EVERYBODY SHUT UP!"_ Erica yelled, and all the action in the dining hall seemingly came to a pause. Benny gulped, wiping the excess blood off his hands and Erica looked at him, and then at the table.

"Well?" she prompted, and Benny looked at her, slightly confused. She groaned.

"Well get up there and say something," she hissed. Benny frowned.

"I'm not getting up there!" Benny protested under his breath. "There's like...like a hundred people here! And they are all staring at me...I just can't do i—"

"Oh for fuck's sake," Erica moaned loudly, pushing him onto the table. He glared at her, trying to stop her from moving any further, but failed. He stumbled onto the table and eventually had the attention of everyone in the room.

"Um," he stammered, "hi."

Some kid was already booing him, and Erica promptly shut him up with a single, yellow-eyed glare. Benny gulped, feeling all eyes—even the multiple ones on Augen, a girl he met in 'Monsters Psych' class—on him.

"Now I know you are all panicking a lot right now," Benny began calmly, "but we...we really need to calm down and think of our next steps."

"Fuck off!" some guy yelled.

"You fuck off!" Benny snapped. The guy fell silent right away. Benny took a deep breath.

"Look, I know this is all very stressful, but we are getting nowhere by just throwing stuff, and blasting magic through walls, and— oh, for fuck's sake, Rory; stop trying to get on the goddamn chandelier!"

Rory meekly dropped off the chandelier for the second time, and Benny sighed.

"We need a plan," he said. "There's a very evil person in there who has something that's _mine,_ " Benny growled, "but most importantly, he is keeping us from having...from having a _really nice dinner!"_

"You say it, B!" Ethan cheered, and then received multiple stares from students around him. Benny smiled tiredly.

"Thank you, Ethan." He looked at the students again—all of which were quieted down and staring at him—and he took a few seconds before determining what he had to say.

"If we are going to take this guy down," Benny said, "we are going to need to work together."

"But how do we do that?" a girl asked from across the room. "He's the principal. He could, like, suspend us or something."

Benny stared at her incredulously before saying, "I honestly don't think that's the priority right now."

"Damn right it isn't!" Ethan yelled again, and Sarah placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Babe," she hissed, "too much."

"Sorry," Ethan said sheepishly. "I'm trying out the whole wingman thing. It's hard."

"Anyway," Benny continued, "we need to start assigning teams. We need to take what we are good at—what we learned from the last few hours at this place—and we need to take those skills and use them to our advantage."

"What if we fell asleep?" someone asked. Benny sighed.

"I mean, that's not really a— Rory, seriously?" Benny asked when he saw who asked. Rory shrugged, and Erica nudged him sharply.

"Vampires, you're going to be front attackers with werewolves." Some angry grunts were heard in the crowd, and Benny rose his hands.

"I know that sounds very outlandish," Benny said defensively, "but we need the strong attackers up front and centre. You are going to have to work together despite your differences, and you are going to try and get location on where Mark—Mr. Peterson, if you are all confused—is, and you'll be the first to attack."

"Attack what?" someone else said. "Attack him? He's just one guy."

"But he's much more," Benny said slowly. "He can mess with your minds. He has done it before, and if you let your guard down for even a second, he'll take it and twist it against your will. He can turn into a dragon as well, and can probably do a bunch of other crazy shit that you won't even believe."

"He can also turn into a drag—"

"Already established, Rory," Benny cut the blonde off.

"So while vampires and werewolves are going for the attack, I am going to need all magical beings on defense. That includes warlocks, earth priests and priestesses, spellmasters, wizards; the whole ordeal. You are going to be responsible for shielding spells, along with elemental spells that could try and stump him. Mark is going to try and use his dark magic on you, but do not let that scare you; he is as weak as you make him out to be, yeah?"

"Yeah!" someone in the crowd yelled, pumping their fist in the air.

"I am going to need telepathic beings assisting and trying to break through these doors, along with throwing spells back and direct them in a different direction against Mark," Benny instructed, gaining momentum and adrenaline from students listening to his every word. "You should've learned this in 'Telepathy for Seers', and if you did, try and help others do the same."

A buzz from the students pushed Benny over the edge and he grinned proudly.

"I imagine that everyone will be able to discover ways to utilize their abilities to help them in this battle because it will be the biggest battle-against-one-man you will ever be apart of."

He paused and added, "And it'll be the scariest battle-against-one-man you will ever be apart of, I really hope it is. But you are fighting for your freedom. You are fighting to get the chicken you signed up for, and you are fighting to get the education option you want without some dickhead ruining it. Yes, there is a specific person I want to get back and am so willing to fight for. I...I love her so much."

A group of girls cooed, and some people looked at him sympathetically. Benny continued.

"He has what is ours. He has us all under some blanket so he can go after what he really wants. No longer will we be pawns in his stupid game. Now who's with me?!"

A moment of silence flickered in the room, and Benny felt a rush of fear go through him.

And some guy finally went around and said it: "A bit needlessly dramatic, innit?"

Benny frowned, a bit confused, and Rory jumped up on the table and pumped his fist in the air.

"YEAH IT IS!" he yelled, and everyone in the room erupted in loud cheers and roars. Benny grinned, patting Rory on the back and when the dust settled, Ethan hesitantly hopped onto the table as well.

"Um, one question?" he asked. "How exactly are we going to get out of here?"

Erica jumped on the table as well and said, "Way to ruin the momentum, nerd."

Ethan rolled her eyes at her, and Sarah sighed, getting on the table as well to join her friends.

"We can try breaking down the door again," she prompted. "We were all too busy working on destroying the walls or _eating other people's boyfriends."_

"I said I was sorry!" a girl in the back said. Rory grinned.

"She has, like, really big boobs," he giggled. "You were totally right, Ethan, they are—"

"Rory!" an angry Sarah, a flustered Ethan, and a generally-annoyed Erica yelled. Benny nodded.

"She's right though," Benny said. "If we all focus our attention on breaking the door open, we can—"

All of the sudden, the door swung open with a big bang as if it was never locked. Everyone stared at it, shocked, as the smoke from the force magic that opened it cleared to reveal a woman in a cloak.

Students were running past the woman, yelling battle cries and magic fizzing from their fingertips. Ethan, Sarah, Rory, and Erica followed to try and direct each party in the search to find Mark and Sky, but Benny stayed behind.

"Um, thanks?" he said, a bit hesitantly. The hooded woman smiled.

"It's my pleasure to serve such an honourable man," she whispered, her voice cracking. "And...what an honourable man you grew up to be."

"I'm sorry...but are you crying?" Benny asked. "Do we know each other or something…?"

The woman paused, and placed a pale hand on his shoulder. "They'll forget all of this when it's over. Soon, you shall too."

Benny looked at her, confused. She sighed, her hand reeling back and falling to her side once more.

"In due time, Benjamin," she said quietly, "I promise I won't let you forget."

Benny opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud crash and a person saying, "We found them!"

Benny looked at her apologetically. "I'll, um...thank you."

He quickly moved past her, heading to the crowd of people in the main hall. He looked up at what they were staring at and came to a sudden stop beside his friends.

Mark was standing on the fenced second floor above them,  
and Sky was leaning on his chest, _kissing him._

* * *

" _Benny?"_

He shot straight up at the sound of his name, and the crashes from his surroundings quickly resumed. Benny looked around and realized that he was on the ground. The battle around him was still going on—he was pretty sure Mark had finally summoned his infamous shadow monsters, of bloody course—yet Erica, Ethan, Sarah, and Rory crowded around him instead of fighting.

"Did I...did I pass out or something?" Benny asked, rubbing his head. "I just had the weirdest...vision? I think it was just a dream or something, but I saw Sky kissing Mark."

He laughed shakily, adding, "Isn't that hilarious?"

"Um, B, that was totally real," Rory said hesitantly. "I mean, did you see where her tongue was going? I think they were, like, this close to french kissing—"

" _What?!_ " Benny screamed, going to stand up, but bumped Rory in the head instead. The blonde vampire groaned, and so did Benny, rubbing his head yet again.

"Thanks for leaving a bruise!" Rory yelled sarcastically, rubbing his head as well. Benny looked at him incredulously.

"Thanks for leaving an even bigger bruise," Benny grumbled. Erica sighed.

"I hate to admit that my dumb boyfriend is right—"

"Hey!" Rory exclaimed.

"—but he's totally right," Erica concluded. "Sky was really going all out."

"I can't believe it," Benny growled, being wary of where Rory was before standing up. "That son of a bitch not only kidnapped her, but also manipulated her?"

"Woah, how do you know this is hypnotism's fault?" Rory asked. Everyone stared at him, and he meekly rubbed the back of his shoulder, saying, "You know what, I think I'm gonna shut up and see if Jake needs any help."

The blonde vampire wandered off into the crowd of students to help fight off the shadow monsters. Sarah rubbed Benny's shoulder reassuring.

"Look, you only passed out for a few minutes," she explained. "Mark and Sky headed to the library, I think. I am not too sure what he wants with her, but I think you and Ethan need to go and—"

"Watch out!" Ethan yelled, and Benny turned around and saw that a shadow monster was going straight towards him. He instinctively raised his hands in front of him, and Ethan used his powers to direct the monster to the left, a second before it could hit Benny's chest. Benny recollected himself and muttered a spell that hit the shadow monster in the back, disappearing in a second.

"Thanks, E," Benny said, a tad out of breath from how fast the spell came out. Ethan nodded, and before Erica could say anything to ridicule them, another shadow entity came out of nowhere and nearly struck her in the back. She instinctively rolled under its trail, and Benny blasted it with a stream of magic.

"You guys have to go to the library!" Sarah yelled over the noise, growling at the shadow entities that surrounded her. "I think some girl from 'Wizards 101' is making a reactor that can fight off the monsters, but in the meantime, you have to go stop Mark!"

Ethan and Benny exchanged looks, but before they could protest, another shadow monster was going their way. Ethan closed his eyes and rose his arm, stopping the shadow monster in its tracks and blasting it against the wall, where it promptly exploded.

"Wow, sick hit, dude!" Rory yelled, astonished. Benny smiled.

"Yeah, that was pretty awesome," Benny said, "and I'm not always the one to agree with Rory."

"What can I say; I paid attention in class," Ethan said with a smug smile, and he motioned Benny to hurry alongside him.

They ran up the stairs leading to the library, and when they reached their destination, they were greeted with aisles and aisles of bookshelves.

"Now how the hell are we supposed to find them now?" Ethan muttered, frustrated. Benny thought about it for a minute, and then took Ethan by the wrist, dragging him along as he went all the way to the back of the room.

"Hey, watch it!" Ethan exclaimed. "I nearly hit a bookshelf!"

"Speaking of bookshelves,"—Benny looked at Ethan, and motioned towards the very last bookshelf in the back of the library—"we are looking for a book called 'Who. L.W. Lost'."

"Wow, sounds dramatic, innit?" Ethan mumbled sarcastically, but looked anyway.

After a few seconds, Ethan finally found it and pulled it back.

"Alright, B, I fo—"

To Benny's relief, the bookshelf faded into a translucent object, and Benny quickly went in. Ethan stood there, a bit shocked. Benny turned around and stuck his hand towards Ethan, through the hologram.

"Come on," Benny said, "we don't have much time."

Ethan hesitantly took Benny's hand and was pulled into the hologram. The once-holographic shelves behind them solidified back to its regular state, and Ethan's eyes widened.

"How the hell do we get back now?" Ethan asked, a bit worried. Benny frowned, pulling out his phone and turned on the flashlight, looking at closely at the rim of the candle holders.

"If there's anything I know about secret lairs," Benny said, smiling when the right candle stick went into view, "it's that there's always another switch."

"How do you know that's the one?" Ethan asked. Benny shrugged.

"It is engraved with the words,"—He squints to read them—" 'We waited long enough'."

"Spooky stuff," Ethan said, and Benny nodded, feeling a strange rush of darkness go through him.

" _In due time, Benjamin. I promise I won't let you forget."_

"Benny?" Ethan's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Benny blinked, and Ethan was now at the same step as him, staring at him with concern.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Benny replied, "fine."

They heard muffled whispers, and they quickly ran down the stairs to find Sky, pinned against a bookshelf by Mark. Benny noticed the dark surrounding, illuminated only by a single lamp hanging from a ceiling. The rest he saw was concrete, and a small row of books beside him on a shelf. He grabbed one without looking at what it was, and stuffed it inside his sweater.

"Mark," Ethan gritted out, and Mark turned around, blood dripping off his fangs. Benny's eyes widened, quickly heading in Sky's direction.

"You son of a bitch," Benny growled, getting to Sky in a mere second. Her neck had two fang marks drawn in her pale skin, and Benny's mind immediately went to the baby.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly. Sky looked at him, a flash of confusion washing over her, before she promptly pushed him off her.

"More than alright," she said with a smug smile. Benny stumbled back, staring directly at the icy blue glare Sky's eyes held.

"D-Did...did he—"

"No," Sky said, before smirking and adding, "not yet he hasn't."

Mark watched with glee as Sky marched towards Benny, who was slowly backing up. Ethan tried to intervene, but he was stopped by Mark, who held his wrist threateningly.

"This isn't you, Sky," Benny said firmly. "You have to—"

"What, fight it?" Sky mocked, her eyes flashing blue once more. "You say that to me all the time; you really think that a genius like Mark is going to let me go over a puny 'fight it'?"

"This isn—"

"It _is_ me, Benny," she snapped. Benny stopped, dead in his tracks. "This is what happens when it's all about you. I _snap._ I needed someone to get me through the nights I was crying, before I realized that the person I needed was the person making me cry to begin with."

Benny held back tears, his throat burning from swallowing them down.

"You are a _monster,_ " Sky growled. "You take, and you take, and you _take._ You think you saved me all those years ago? _You didn't._ You sentenced me to a life where my depression is swept away over your _pettiness."_

Benny felt tears pricking at his eyes. Sky growled, pulling Benny closer to her by the collar.

"What happened to me, Benny?!" she yelled. "What happened to taking care of me too?! This relationship isn't going to be put on me because you can't fucking hold your alcohol, or that your grandma died and suddenly everything is _you._ I have been holding this grief for all of my life, and not _once_ did you care about it. You selfish _asshole._ "

An idea struck Ethan, and he closed his eyes, concentrating really hard. He heard a book slowly lift from behind him.

"I love Mark, Benny," Sky whispered when she got close enough to Benny. "You were always second choice and you know it. Come on...say it."

"I-I—" Sky placed her hand on Benny's chest and said a spell, shooting dark magic into him. He screamed in pain, writhing under her grasp.

" _Say it,_ " she growled.

"I-I...I came second," Benny said, and when Sky pulled back, he fell onto his knees with a gasp. Sky smirked at him.

"I don't love you, Benny," Sky said, and Benny felt his heart drop. "I'll take away your child if that's what it takes to show you."

Before Benny could say anything, Ethan finally lifted the book with his mind and whacked it at the back of Mark's head as hard as he could, startling him and causing him to loosen his grip on his wrist. Ethan shook Mark's hand off, and quickly went between Sky and Benny. Sky's hand went up, ready to slap him in the face, but Ethan caught her wrist and sent both of them into a vision.

* * *

 _*Flash*_

" _W-Where am I?" Sky said, turning around and upon seeing Ethan, growled, "You."_

" _You have to snap out of this, Sky," Ethan said calmly. "We are in your mind. You see how it's all grey? It's because you're trapped. I'm here to give you a nudge, but only_ _ **you**_ _can break free."_

 _Sky looked at him, blinking profusely. Ethan watched the colour of her eyes go between her normal blue, and the icy blue that Mark placed on her._

" _I-I love Mark," Sky stuttered. Ethan felt everything shake — it had to be working._

" _You love_ _ **Benny,**_ " _Ethan corrected. "Maybe I can remind you somehow...we are in your mind after all...oh wait, I got it!"_

 _Ethan used all his power to think of Benny and Sky, and a memory was conjured up and played in front of them. Sky lifted her head and watched the memory play out._

" _ **Shh, Benny," Sky giggled, following Benny, who was dragging her by the wrist across the aisles of books in the library. "Someone is going to hear us!"**_

 _ **Benny smiled. "Oh come on; dinner starts in twenty minutes. We have time before that, and no one is even here."**_

" _ **I mean, you do realize some people actually want to use the library, right?" Sky retorted, trying not to laugh. Benny rolled his eyes.**_

" _ **You're joking," he replied, and Sky lost it, laughing in his shoulder.**_

" _ **What are we going to do anyway?" Sky said, her voice high and breathy against the crook of his shoulder. "Even if either of us want to, we can't — the last time we did that, you got me pregnant."**_

" _ **Shut up!" Benny said, breaking into a few giggles of his own. He paused, and smugly said, "You can give you a wicked handjob."**_

" _ **Oh my god, Benny," Sky groaned, smiling. She trailed her finger up Benny's chest to his chin, lifting it up slightly and adding, "How about you kiss me?"**_

 _ **Benny smiled softly, moving forward and bringing her into a long kiss. Sky felt herself leaning against him, turning around so that her back was against one of the bookshelves along a wall. Benny moved with her so that he was softly pressing her against the books and—**_

" _Click!"_

 _A click sounded in her mind, and Sky felt the pieces snap together. Her mind grew less grey, and she looked at Ethan, wide-eyed._

" _I love Benny," she breathed out, feeling everything begin to spin. "Oh my God, Ethan, I love_ _ **Benny."**_

* * *

Ethan fell out of the trance he was in, snapping back to reality in which Mark was gone and Sky was on the ground. Benny was also on the ground, but the emotion on his face was indescribable. Ethan looked at the two of them, clearly shaken, and sighed.

"Let's go upstairs," he said, and the two stood up wordlessly. Sky looked at Benny, almost apologetically.

"Benny—"

"It's fine," he said, almost flatly. "You were under a spell. Me out of all people should be able to understand that, shouldn't I?"

Sky blinked, astonished at how calm Benny sounded; even a tad amused. She looked at him shyly.

"But I...are you sure?" Sky asked, her voice quiet. Ethan was already quite some ways up the stairs, but Benny and Sky were still at the foot of the stairs.

"Seriously, Sky, it's fine," Benny said, a shudder passing through him every single time he lied. The book in his sweater became seemingly heavier. He paused, and added, "Are you going to give up the baby for Mark?"

"What?!" Sky gasped. "O-Of...of course not! Why the hell would you think that?"

Benny smiled tiredly. "Then everything is fine."

They heard doors open and celebratory exclamations from upstairs, and Ethan yelled down at them, "Are you guys coming or not? I think the vice principal just gave a speech and she's evacuating everyone. We need to be up here — people are celebrating too!"

"Benny," Sky said, grabbing Benny's wrist before he could go up the stairs. "Benny, can we at least tal—"

Benny stiffened in her grasp, visibly tensing. Sky looked at him, almost hurt, and slowly let go of him. It was his turn to look at her apologetically, and he went up the stairs. Sky wordlessly trailed behind him, and they when they surfaced out of the light, the hundreds of students who were once in battle screamed in celebration.

"Let's go," Ethan said, and Benny walked past him and headed straight for the exit downstairs. Rory, Erica, and Sarah were just behind Ethan, catching up to him and Sky.

"We're leaving the party already?" Rory pouted.

"Honey, the vice principal said we needed to evacuate ten minutes ago," Erica said firmly. "Unless you want to be brainwashed too, we should get out of here."

"Brainwashed—?"

"She's wiping everyone's memory of this," Sarah said. "Didn't you pay attention to the announcement?"

Rory opened his mouth to say something else, and then heard students fall onto the ground around them.

"We gotta get out of here," Ethan said. "Come on."

Ethan, Erica, Sarah, and a reluctant Rory were all heading down the stairs to catch up with Benny at the exit before the vice principal could catch them.

Ethan turned around and realized that Sky was still rooted in her place, watching the cloaked lady floating in the centre of the university. Streams of light blue magic trailed from her hands, hitting students one by one, but she stared at her, transfixed.

"Sky?" She snapped out of her semi-trance at the sound of her name. "Hurry up, we have to get out of here soon."

Sky hastily followed, and even if Ethan talked about something—what was it?—the only person on her mind was Benny, and whatever happened in that underground lair.

* * *

The dial tone seems to go on forever.

"Come on...Scarlet," Benny said, feeling himself go dizzy from the lack of oxygen going in. Sky was just downstairs with the rest of the gang, watching a movie to clear their minds from the long day at the university. He would be downstairs too, if sitting next to Sky didn't make his head spin.

" _ **You are a monster."**_

" _Benny?"_ The voice he needed finally picked up. " _Benny, it's kind of late, are you alri—"_

"S-Scarlet," he stammered, his voice breaking within his whisper. "I know it's really not the best time, but I need to talk to someone because I...I can't breathe. I-I—"

" _Benny, just take a deep breath and explain to me what happened slowly."_ Scarlet's calm voice was merely a buzz in Benny's mind.

" _ **You take, and you take, and you take. You think you saved me all those years ago? You didn't. You sentenced me to a life where my depression is swept away over your pettiness."**_

"Mark was at the university today," he explained, trying to keep his voice levelled. "He manipulated Sky and...and she said all these horrible things to me. And I've been trying not to let it get to me because it's not really a big deal but...it's like hearing my worst thoughts and fears through the one person who would usually push them away."

" _It was Mark speaking to you though,"_ Scarlet said. Benny blinked, almost taken back. " _You have to remember that none of that is Sky. That was all Mark talking and using her as a vessel for his words."_

" _ **What happened to me, Benny?! What happened to taking care of me too?! This relationship isn't going to be put on me because you can't fucking hold your alcohol, or that your grandma died and suddenly everything is you. I have been holding this grief for all of my life, and not once did you care about it. You selfish asshole."**_

" _You give power to his words when you give them the attention they don't deserve,"_ she said calmly. Benny stifled his sobs through the palm of his hand.

"T-They seemed so real, Scarlet," he whispered, his voice sounding broken. "They seemed as if she wasn't just saying them, but it sounded as if she was...confessing them."

" _ **I love Mark, Benny. You were always second choice and you know it. Come on...say it."**_

"I'm second best, Scarlet," he sobbed.

" _But you aren't,"_ she calmly reinforced. " _Sky loves you. You love Sky. Don't let unnecessary power try and get in the way of that. The more attention that you give this single moment—the more you let this single moment dictate your relationship with her—the more power it will seemingly have. It doesn't have any to begin with. Remember that."_

" _ **I don't love you, Benny.**_

 _ **I'll take away your child if that's what it takes to show you."**_

"A-Alright," Benny managed to say.

" _Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"_

"No, get some rest," he reassured, "or whatever rest you vampires get."

Scarlet chuckled on the other side. " _You're brave for calling me, Benny. You're helping yourself and it's going to have an amazing endgame. I promise."_

Benny smiled, said his goodbye's, and hung up. He looked in the mirror one more time and the memory seemed to drown out, and he took a deep breath. He walked over to the door and opened it.

Sky was the first thing he saw,

and her tears were the second.

"B-Benny," she sobbed.

"How...how long were you standing there?" Benny asked, almost guilty.

"I'm sorry," she choked out. "I'm sorry for saying all those things, I—"

"No, Sky, it's not your fault," he reassured her, bringing her into a hug. She cried in his chest.

"The things he made me say," she said in his shirt, "they were horrible. But they were not true at all. Benny, I am sorry."

"You couldn't do anything about it, Sky," Benny said softly. "If anything, it was a wake up call."

"Benny—"

"No, Sky, it was," he cut her off. "I need to get my act together and I need to be strong too. I know it'll take a long time, but I can't keep putting myself down and expecting you to pick up the pieces."

Sky looked up at him, teary-eyed. "Benny…"

"I'm going to try," he said softly, holding her close. "I know you're here; I am going to try and be here too."

She smiled through her tears and gave him a kiss, and Benny kissed back with a smile.

When they pulled back, Sky asked, "Should we go down?"

"Yeah, just give me a second," Benny said, and Sky nodded, going back downstairs. Benny went over to his desk and pulled out the book from his sweater. He brushed off the dusty cover and looked at it for the first time since he got it. The title shocked him.

" _Evelyn Weir."_ The name was written in gold italics, and shone in the moonlight. Benny didn't dare open it—not yet, at least—but he threw it in his desk drawer quickly. He took a few deep breaths before the questions began to settle — _why was his grandma's book in the university?_

Suddenly, an empty spot on his desk began to glimmer a light shade of blue. He frowned, and when the magic settled, an envelope sat on his desk. It seemed old—it had that 'age of yellow' colour to it—and a red wax seal sticking it together. The front of the envelope read, in thick cursive:

 _ **To: Benjamin M. Weir**_

 _ **From: The Supernatural Society of Whitechapel For Educated Youth (SSWEY)**_

He blinked in confusion at the coincidence, and opened the envelope slowly. He took out the piece of paper and realized it was a letter. He held it to the light off his lamp and read it carefully.

 _Mr. Weir,_

 _I would like to be the first to extend my warmest gratitude for the heroism you showed today towards the potential students of our university. Your friends and yourself led a battle that took down Mr. Peterson, but I am afraid it won't be the last of him._

 _I am writing this letter in haste, but also in the hopes that you see this and I will remember what you did and what happened today. Mr. Peterson will be returning soon and the spell placed on all of us will resume until we meet again._

 _I know him, Mr. Weir, but...that is besides the point of this letter._

 _I recognize your bravery and I want to offer you and your friends a four-year scholarship to our school. We would be honoured to have you here. You and your friends displayed the finest supernatural talents we have ever seen in a very long time._

 _Afterwards, I would like to offer you a potential teaching career at our facility. Your leadership and determination would be a great addition to the team of professors here at SSWEY, and your talents would be used to help others._

 _I leave this in your hands, but I beg you not to reply. I know this letter is very poorly written and completely unprofessional, but I don't have much time. I remember everything, but I will soon be trapped in my mind against my own will._

 _Our paths will meet again. I promise. As soon as I get the chance, I shall take it._ _ **I'm not going to wait anymore.**_

 _I apologize for my haste. He's coming, and I don't have much time._

 _Until we meet again,_

 _Lily V\\__

The end of the 'V' was trailed off, and a blob of ink soaked the bottom of the page. Benny frowned — the end of the letter was written very hastily, and it seemed as if she was dragged away from writing the letter.

He knew her name now, though. Lily V. The name rushed through him.

" _In due time, Benjamin. I promise I won't let you forget."_

"Benny?" He snapped out of his daze at the sound of Rory calling him. "Dude, come down! The alien is about to go down on the city — _again!"_

Benny smiled. "Coming!"

He left the letter in his desk drawer alongside what was seemingly his grandmother's book and sighed; it may be over now, but something told him that it wasn't the last time he would be hearing from the university.


	8. Babies and Bodies

**a/n- wassup? it be tobn here with your monthly update of friends forever :P**

 **i hope you don't mind the wait! i mean, if if you did, here's a 6000 word chapter for you, lol :P how have you been since the drama that was the last episode? i can promise you that this is gonna be a v chill chapter, so strap in for some fluff, some humour, and a few happy tears — we may or may not have a gender reveal in this one ;D**

 **shoutouts to...**

 **guest- s'all good, pal! i freakin' love writing moody benny. i know it's out of character for him, but perhaps that's why i enjoy it so much! anywhoo, thank you for your review! i think _you're_ great ;)**

 **mbav fan66- woah woah woah, slow down, fanfic buddy! that's a lot of theorizing — you keep that up, i might have to wipe your brain or something *winks at you mischievously* rory is the life of the party though — it's a blast writing his little outburst moments, heh :D and awww thank you, fanfic buddy! while money is great—virtual or real money—the best payment is all the wonderful support; especially from awesome people like you! *boops your nose* thank you for review as always, dearest fanfic buddy ^-^**

 **bennyweirlover17- thank you! benny/sky feels are just the best, aren't they? i love writing their little moments; it's honestly so much fun :) thank you for your kind review as always!**

 **fangerdanger6- ahh yes things are only getting more intense from here! all will be answered soon, i suppose ;) thank you for your review! your support is appreciated as always :)**

 **alright! here we go! here's a nice not-so-little filler chapter for y'all :)**

 **disclaimer: i still don't own mbav or its characters. i do own sky, any other oc's, and the plot!**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

Friends Forever: Chapter 8: Babies and Bodies

* * *

It's Sunday morning, and Benny is dying.

Okay, he isn't actually dying. But his room was doing laps in his vision fast enough for him to feel that he is pretty damn close.

" _Benny, breathe."_ The voice seemed so far away, as if it was buried under gallons and gallons of water. He blinked, trying to clear his vision from tears and when they focused on Ethan, he realized that he was still in his house.

" _You're safe."_ Ethan's face was distorted; its shape altered through his watery eyes.

" _You're okay."_ All of the sudden, Benny saw something different.

" _ **I'm going to help you, okay?"**_ Ethan's voice was no longer that calm, grounded voice he knew. Now it was... _British_.

" _ **Everything is fine."**_ Benny's eyes widened when the familiar face slid into view.

" **I am here."**

The sound of skin-on-skin contact echoed in the room. Benny's hand reeled back, and so did Ethan; whose hand was on his reddened cheek. Benny looked at his hand in fear, and then back at Ethan, the image of before disappearing.

"Benny?" Ethan's voice rung in his ears. Fighting off tears, Benny bolted out of his room, slamming the door behind him. Ethan snapped out of his shock and ran after him.

"Benny!" he exclaimed, stopping at the top of the stairs just in time to see Benny run out the front door. He hurried down the stairs and out the door, kicking it closed behind him.

Benny ran onto the edge of the sidewalk in his panic, and Ethan's eyes widened. White momentarily engulfed his vision.

 _*CRASH!*_

"Benny, get out of the way!" Ethan screamed, sprinting onto the road and grabbing Benny by the back of his collar. Benny yelped, and before he could take a step onto the road, Ethan pulled him back on the sidewalk.

A second after, a car sped past the two boys. Their hair was brushed aside from the small gust of wind. Benny took a few shallow breaths, but when he felt Ethan's hand loosen on his collar, they slowed down.

"Jesus Christ, Benny," Ethan huffed, exhausted, and he collapsed on the edge of the sidewalk. Benny followed a little bit after, running a hand through his hair.

"Sorry," Benny mumbled, his eyes glued to the place the car was. Ethan's hand went on his cheek and he winced softly, but patted Benny's back anyway.

"It's alright," he said. He paused and hesitantly added, "However, I want you to talk to Scarlet about getting some medicine."

"What?"

"I don't want this to get worse," Ethan said softly, now looking at where the car was as well. "I want to take care of you, Benny. I remember what happened before, and I don't want it to happen again."

Benny stared at him for a moment and nodded wordlessly. Ethan took a deep breath, and Benny finally looked at him.

"How did you know?" Benny asked quietly. "That the car was coming, I mean."

Ethan closed his eyes, trying to recall. "I saw...white. It was almost like a normal vision, but...I made contact with you seconds after it happened. That was how I knew there was a car coming to start with.

Benny blinked. "That's...new."

Ethan sighed, looking ahead once more.

"Maybe this just means we have a bit more to learn."

Benny looked at him, and when Ethan looked back at him, he smiled.

* * *

"We need to take a vacation."

Benny looked up from his phone and at Sky, who was sitting across from him in the booth.

"Pardon?"

"A vacation," she repeated, sipping her coffee.

"A vacation from what?" Benny smiled smugly. "I think that the school board thinks otherwise."

"I mean a vacation from the supernatural," she explained. "It's Sunday; we have all day. Besides, we have to skip school tomorrow as well because I have an appointment with the family doctor."

"You do?" Benny asked, surprised.

"Yeah, first one," she said, almost proudly. "I think I'm far enough along in the pregnancy for a gender reveal, actually."

"Really?" Benny looks up at her, almost excited.

"And you're coming with me, of course," Sky said with a small smile. "So since we are off for two days, let's take a break from supernatural patrol. We can go shopping for baby clothes, and we can just have a day for...for us."

Benny's mind momentarily drifted to what happened with Ethan that morning. Sky took it as hesitation, and she took his hands into hers.

"Let's be normal," Sky said, "just for two nights."

He sighed, giving into a small smile as well.

"That would be really nice," he replied. Sky's smile grew.

"Great!" Sky exclaimed. "I'll call Erica and Sarah and tell them not to bother us. Make sure you call Ethan and _do not tell Rory._ "

"Why not Rory?"

"Because if he knew, he'd try and find us and hang out with us all day," Sky said, narrowing eyes. "You remember ' _Vampire-Ninja-Fun-Day'_ don't you?"

Benny blinked, and then shuddered at the memory. "Right."

Sky sighed. "So we'll turn off our cellphones and go shopping today, and then do some more tomorrow before the appointment?"

"Completely supernatural-free," Benny murmured. "Are you sure this is a good idea? We can leave our phones on, surely."

"Unless you want our fellow Scooby gang to call us halfway through our nice dinner," Sky deadpanned, "I think it's best to keep 'em off."

"What if there's an emergency?"

"Then there are four other supernatural-fighting members of our team to fight 'em off," Sky said with a smile. "Besides, what can go wrong in twenty four hours?"

* * *

Late at night, Ethan stood at the front of the table in the library, papers scattered over the surface. Rory, Erica, and Sarah sat around the table.

"So there has been three murders?" Sarah asked, shocked. Ethan nodded.

"It's some savage vampire," Ethan explained. "There are bite marks are on every victim's neck, and they have been drained dry."

"Who do you think could've done it?" Rory asked. He then perked up and exclaimed, " _Ooh,_ do you think Dracula came to visit?!"

"If he did, then I don't think that's something to be excited for, Rory," Ethan deadpanned. Erica sighed, leaning back in her chair and kicking her feet onto the surface of the table.

"Where's spell-dorks-one-and-two?" Erica asked, chewing the blood-gum Scarlet gave her. Ethan sighed.

"They're taking a 'break' from the supernatural," he said through air-quotes. Rory's eyes widened.

"No way! You can do that?!"

"I mean, they do deserve it," Sarah pointed out. "They're doing things for the baby, they're balancing school and supernatural issues; all of that _and_ what happened yesterday should be stressing them to the core."

"Well why didn't they say so?" Rory stood up. "I'm going to go find them — I can give them a 'Vampire-Ninja-Fun-Day'... _the sequel!_ "

Before Rory could speed off, Erica grabbed his arm and forced him back into his chair.

"Slow down, babe," she muttered. " 'Vampire _-_ Ninja-Fun-Whatever' is probably the reason why they _didn't_ tell you."

Rory huffed, slumping against the chair with his arms crossed. Erica rolled her eyes.

"Alright, so the Mr. and Mrs. are on their honeymoon." Erica popped her bubble. "They have phones. We can call them — villainous vampires don't wait around for the lovers to get out of bed."

"They told me their phones are off until Tuesday morning," Ethan explained. "And either way, we shouldn't bother them. They've done so much for us in the last few days, and they did ask for a break."

"Besides, we can handle a toughie by ourselves!" Rory said bravely. "There's nothing some puny vampire can do to stop us!"

"Rory, this vampire murdered three people today," Ethan muttered. "I don't think it's a 'puny' kind of situation."

"Fine, so we leave the love-birds out of this," Erica said. "What are we going to do now?"

"Do you have any leads?" Sarah asked. Ethan nodded, pushing a piece of paper to the middle of the table. On the paper was the photo of a young boy, seemingly their age, with tan skin and black, curly hair. His eyes were narrowed at the camera, and he had a small smirk scrawled on his face. A thin, red scar ran across his left eye.

"His name is Sander Jackson," Ethan said, "nicknamed 'Scooter' by some people."

"Hey, that sounds really familiar…" Rory trailed off.

"What kind of nickname is Scooter?" Erica said with a smug smile.

"The kind of nickname you give to a kid who has been bullied for his whole life," Ethan answered. "His parents were murdered when he was six, and he joined a gang and sold drugs to survive. That's how he got the name."

Erica's eyes widened.

"...Oh."

"How do you know all of this stuff?" Sarah asked.

"He has some supernatural-investigation blog," he answered. "That's the only reason why I know that he got turned a few days ago and is now seeking blood-thirsty revenge."

"And no one has caught this guy because…?" Erica said incredulously.

"No one reads his blog," Ethan said, shrugging. "Even if someone did, it all sounds so crazy that it doesn't even sound real."

Ethan sighed and added, "And again, he isn't the most popular kid. He has been bullied by every person who has stepped into WC High — teachers and students alike."

"Alright, so why haven't I laid my fingers on this dorkula yet anyway?" Erica asked, and Sarah nudged her. Ethan blinked.

"I mean, I'm not too sure," Ethan said. "I haven't really seen much of him."

"Maybe that was part of it," Sarah said, almost sadly. "If someone wasn't bullying him, I feel like he would think that they were his friends."

Rory gulped. "This is really...sad."

"Alright, so we have a psychopathic vampire murderer on the loose who is killing people—"

"Students, actually," Ethan corrected Erica lightly. "From WC High."

"Students," Erica echoed back. She chewed her gum, suddenly nervous. "Makes...really depressing sense."

"So he has motive," Sarah said, looking closely at the reports surrounding Scooter's photo. "He's been killing WC High students, and I feel like it'll just get worse when school actually picks up on Monday."

"She's right," Rory said. "That's Stevie Jonnicks — he's the quarterback of the football team!"

"And that's Rosanna Halls," Erica said with a smug smile, looking at some of the reports. "She should be...a senior now, I think. And it says she was on the cheerleading squad — my little baby freshmen grew up."

Sarah gave Erica a sharp glare, and Ethan rolled his eyes.

"So he's been going for specific people so far," Ethan noted. "But come Monday, he can really branch out. He can go for pretty much everyone now they're at school. Of course, school is probably cancelled tomorrow because of such an event, but if he can track down Stevie and Rosanna, then he can track down anyone he wanted."

"So who would his next victim be?" Sarah said, tapping her finger on the surface of the table. "If we knew, we could track down his next steps and stop him before it was too late."

Rory snapped his fingers suddenly, causing everyone to stare at him.

"Aha!" he exclaimed. "I knew Scooter was a familiar name!"

"What is it, Rory?" Ethan asked.

"Scooter asked Sky out a long time ago," Rory recalled. "I think sometime before prom? She turned him down because she was already with Josh, but a bunch of people saw and laughed at him. I think he took it badly — I caught him burning Sky's picture at his locker."

"Sky never mentioned Scooter...," Sarah muttered.

"Oh my God," Erica murmured, holding up another report. "Get a load of this."

Ethan grabbed the paper out of Erica's hand.

" 'Josh Lupton: WC High Football Star brutally murdered earlier this morning'," Ethan read aloud. He looked up from the paper. "Wasn't this the guy who cheated on Sky before prom?"

"Serves that asshole right!" Erica said with a smirk. "So fucking glad he's dead."

Sarah's eyes widened, and her loud voice caught the attention of multiple people in the library. Erica sunk lower in the seat, covering her mouth.

"If Josh is dead, then that leads back to Sky," Ethan said, fear evident in his voice. "He found every single one of them; without a doubt, I know he could find her too."

"We have to warn her!" Rory exclaimed.

"How?" Erica asked, almost annoyed. "We don't even know where Sky or Benny are. They never told anyone, and their phones are off the whole time."

"Besides, we have to respect their mini-vacation," Sarah pointed out.

"Well we have to try and get to them first _without them knowing_ ," Ethan said confidently. "Tomorrow, we are going on...on a spellmaster hunt!"

"Weak name, E."

Ethan sunk into his chair, arms crossed. "Shut up, Rory."

Sarah giggled, and Erica rolled her eyes; tomorrow was going to be a long day.

* * *

The automatic doors slid open in front of Benny and Sky and they walked into the store.

"So this is a twenty-four hour...baby shop?" Benny asked, looking at the toys on display and the several small mannequins dressed in baby clothes.

Sky shrugged. "The responsibility of taking care of babies are not confined to a store's closing hours."

Benny smiled smugly and replied, "You've been reading too many pregnancy books."

Sky laughed, grabbing his wrist with a smile and dragging him into the store.

"What are looking for anyway?" Benny asked when they get to the clothing section.

"Some baby clothes, maybe some baby supplies." Sky fished through a few hangers on the rack. Benny looked at her, amused.

"I thought you said we are taking a break from supernatural patrol," Benny joked. " 'Baby supplies'?"

"Shut up," Sky giggled. "I suppose the mission-mindset is tough to get rid of."

"That's a bit of an understatement," Benny chuckled back. "You were ready to investigate the hell out of that 'werewolf' back at the restaurant."

"His hair was popping out of his tuxedo!" Sky said defensively. "That's just inhuman; how was I supposed to know that he was just really hairy?"

"Not by throwing a silver spoon at him to see if it would 'do damage'," Benny retorts with a smirk. Sky rolled her eyes.

"Well how about after he returned the spoon to our table?" Sky replied smugly. "You looked like you were going to blast his ass into Oblivion."

Benny blushed. "To my defense, no one returns a spoon with that much...flair."

Sky laughed, and Benny went to the rack opposite of her. He pushed past a few clothes before he gasped loudly. Sky turned around.

"What?" she asked. Benny slowly turned around with a big grin.

"It's a Captain America onesie!" he exclaimed, holding the onesie up inches from Sky's fac. She smiled.

"We are not getting the baby a Captain America onesie," she said. Benny rolled his eyes.

"I know that you want it too!" Benny retorted. "We may not know the gender yet, but I think lil' Benny Jr. would be, like, the coolest baby ever!"

"Fine," Sky said, grabbing the onesie and putting it in the shopping basket; "as long as we don't name the baby Benny Jr."

"Deal," Benny giggled. "I promise you won't regret it though! The baby is gonna love it loads!"

As Sky watched Benny pick out more superhero onesies—"Get a load of this! _Hulk onesies!_ "—she smiled thoughtfully.

"You're going to be a great dad."

Benny dropped the onesie, and turned around slowly to face her.

"P-Pardon?"

"You're going to be a really great dad, Benny," she said once more, grabbing his hands and taking them into hers. His eyes didn't meet hers.

"How can you be so sure?" Benny's once giddy-mood faded into sadness. "I've...I've never had a dad. I never had parents. I'm a mess who's walking on thin ice."

His grip on Sky's hands tightened. Sky could feel him trembling.

"If I can't take care of myself," he whispered, "how will I be able to take care of our child?"

In a softer, more broken voice, he added, "How can I take care of you?"

They stood there in silence for a while, before Sky cleared her throat.

"You'll tell funny puns that'll make our kid groan," Sky began. Benny's eyes widened, and he broke into a small smile.

"You'll be ready to kick mortal ass with a lightning bolt when someone hurts them. You would go to every single one of their games, or their recitals."

Sky smiled, squeezed his hand gently.

"You can protect them," she said. "You can spin them around in the air and dance around the backyard."

Sky sighed, looking at Benny.

"You can do all of that, and _you can make us happy._ "

Benny brought their hands closer to their chests, and smiled.

"I love you," he whispered. "You're going to be a really good mom."

"We're going to be a really great family," Sky said. "I promise."

* * *

The next morning, Rory snuck around a small bush in the gardens. He peered over it slowly before immediately ducking down. Back against the shrub, he adjusted the Bluetooth headset and mimicked the buzz of an old walkie-talkie.

" _Kccchh...chhh—_ this is Vampire Ninja, reporting from bush-number-six at Whitechapel Gardens." Ethan's groan was his reply.

" _Rory, this isn't a spy mission."_ Rory pouted.

"Can the next one be a spy mission?" he asked excitedly.

" _Rory, for fuc—"_

" _Sure, Rory,"_ Sarah's annoyed voice cut him off, " _whatever you want. Can we all just focus on the task at hand?"_

"Well if it's any help, I don't see him," Rory said, continuously peering over the edge of the bush, "and I think Erica went and to get some coffee."

" _Are you serious?!"_ Sarah exclaimed. " _Ugh, typical Erica, ditching on the mission as al—"_

" _You know I can totally hear you guys, right?"_ Erica's voice buzzed through. Her voice sounded tired and strained. Rory grinned obliviously.

"Erica, honey!" Rory said excitedly. "Was there any chocolate smoothies?"

" _No, but there is a Scooter Jackson— get your hands off me, freak!"_ Erica said loudly, and the sound of a punch being thrown echoed in the headset.

" _We're on our way!"_ Ethan said.

" _Just stay where you are, Erica. And Rory, you go help her!"_ Sarah added. Rory heard all of them turn off their headset, and his eyes widened.

"Hey guys!" he exclaimed. "You forgot to say 'over and out'! You can't turn off without saying 'over and ou'—"

" _Babe, I love you, but can you just stop being an idiot and get your ass over here?!"_ Erica yelled.

Rory winced at how loud the voice was, but he replied nervously, "A-Alright!"

He hesitated, and added, "Vampire Ninja, over and out!"

Erica's groan was the last thing he heard before turning off his headset. He slowly peered over the bush one last time, before sneaking off, doing a semi-somersault in the process.

He tip-toed all the way to the café, which was only a few blocks away from the garden. When he got into the café, he was greeted with a middle-aged man pushing past him and out the door in panic. Rory looked at him briefly, before a voice snapped him out of his confusion.

"Rory, get your vampire ass over here!" Erica yelled, who was pinned on the floor by Scooter. He lifted his head and saw Rory, and grinned a fang-filled smile.

"For a vampire," he said smugly, "you're really slow."

"I...was...taking...my... _TIME!"_ Rory yelled, bolting towards Scooter unexpectedly. Scooter's eyes widened, and Rory tackled him off Erica. She stood up and brushed herself off.

"Rory, I love you, but you have super speed; _use it_." Rory grinned sheepishly, and Scooter's eyes widened, pushing Rory off him and standing up as well.

"Y-You're...you're friends with Sky Bryans!" Scooter's eyes travelled up and down Rory, who was still on the floor. Rory blinked, before breaking into a sheepish smile.

"N-No!" he stammered. Erica looked at what was happening, trying to figure out what to do. Scooter turned to face her.

"Y-You're friends with Sky too!" he exclaimed. Erica looked down.

"No we're not," she growled.

"We don't know what you're talking about!" Rory yelled. Erica's eyes darted towards him.

"Babe, shut up," she hissed.

"N-No, you are!" Scooter exclaimed. He turned around to face Rory once more and said, "You're, like, her boyfriend or something!"

Rory grinned. "I wish!"

"Rory," Erica said, narrowing her eyes. Rory's eyes widened, and he blushed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"I-I mean, yes I am!"

"Rory!" Erica exclaimed, close to frustration.

Scooter's eyes shone yellow, and he flashed his fangs at Rory.

"I guess I can take a little detour to the guy who stole her off the market for good!" he screamed, and lunged towards Rory. He yelped, rolling to the side. Scooter landed on the ground, and went on his hands, growling. Rory quickly dashed to Erica's side, and the two watched Scooter stand up slowly.

"You're fucking insane!" Erica yelled. " 'Off the market'?!"

"Yeah, what the hell does that mean?!" Rory added.

"You took Sky away from me!" Scooter yelled. "She was my only chance at happiness!"

"There's more sources of happiness!" Rory said. "I know life has sucked for you so far, but there is a lot of good stuff out there! You just have to look for it!"

"I am tired for looking for happiness in a world that is anything _but happy!_ " Scooter yelled. He hissed at Erica and Rory, whose backs were against the glass doors of the café. "Now it's time to pay!"

Before he could bolt towards Rory once more, Rory's hands went to cover his face and out of fear, he yelled, "I'm not her boyfriend!"

Scooter blinked and froze, before backing away slowly.

"I fucking knew it," Scooter growled. He pushed past Erica and Rory and out the glass doors, muttering, "You lowly vampires are wasting my time. I have to find Sky Bryans, _and I have to teach her a lesson."_

When he was gone, Rory and Erica looked at the trashed café. People were hiding behind flipped tables, and Rory looked at Erica sheepishly.

"You glamour these people, and I speed back to warn Ethan and Sarah?" Rory asked nervously. Erica closed her eyes, took a breath, and then sighed. She pecked Rory's cheek, and Rory's eyes widened.

"W-Wha…?"

She smiled. "You did the best you could."

Rory looked at her, his emotions a mixture of confusion and pride.

"T-Thanks?"

"That's why you're doing the glamouring," Erica said smugly, and before Rory could protest, she sped out of the café.

"Erica! Babe, wait up!" He took one final look at the few scared customers who were still in the café.

"I won't tell anyone about this if you don't?" Everyone nodded frantically, and he beamed.

"Thanks!" he cheered, and sped out to get to Erica, and hopefully Sarah and Ethan; they needed to find Sky before Scooter could.

* * *

Sky and Benny laughed on the way to the doctor's office.

"That's not gonna happen and you know it," Sky giggled. Benny rolled his eyes.

"I am telling you, it might!" Benny said, waving his animatedly. "Our baby is gonna be the product of two badass spellmasters — they'll be able to, like, destroy the world!"

"I know you are just imagining that our baby will come out with laser vision," Sky teased.

Benny grinned. "You know me so well, babe."

Sky pecked his cheek, and Benny felt himself blush.

"Imagine if it's a boy," he whispered. "I'd have a kid to play baseball with and stuff."

"It doesn't have to be a boy to play catch, B," Sky said, chuckling softly. "The only reason why our kid won't play ball is because you wouldn't play ball either."

"You got me there," Benny said, smiling back.

"If it's a girl, we could take her to soccer and I can become the ultimate soccer mom," Sky said dreamily, looking up at the sky.

"I can bring juice boxes," Benny added.

"And I'll bring the lawn chairs," Sky finished with a smile.

Benny took her hand into his and whispered, "They're going to be amazing."

"That is really _cute._ "

Sky and Benny frowned, exchanged looks, and then turned around. In front of them was a guy they didn't recognize, seemingly their age. He flashed a fang-filled smile.

"Hello, honeymooners," he said with a wide grin. Sky backed away slowly, and her grasp on the strap of her messenger bag tightened. Benny's arm shot in front of her stomach protectively.

"Hey, you're a vampire!" Benny exclaimed. "Back off — we're on vacation!"

The vampire laughed. "Vacation from what? Your cheesy sitcom?"

"Can you leave us alone?" Sky asked, bridging on frustration. "Why is it that we can literally never have a break from—"

She paused, and then took one more look at the boy in front of them.

His scarred eye was the piece needed for everything to click.

"Scooter?" she whispered. Benny looked at Sky in confusion.

"You know this guy?" Benny asked, surprised. Sky blinked.

"You...you were the guy who asked me out to prom, right?" she asked, pushing Benny's arm down gently and walking slowly towards him. Scooter narrowed his eyes.

"I'm the one you said 'no' to," he growled. He marched towards Sky. "I was the one you ignored during the dance."

"To our defense, we were trying to defeat an Oblivion spellmaster," Benny noted, and Scooter glared at him. He gulped nervously.

"Scooter," — Sky began to back away slowly once more — "can we talk for a while? You're motive to kill is a bit weak, and it can be satisfied with some talking."

She gulps and adds, "A-And not gonna lie...you're walking up to me kind of threateningly."

"You're carrying a parasite now, huh?" Scooter said, ignoring her pleas and instead eyeing her stomach. Sky's eyes widened, and she could almost hear Benny's snarl. Scooter's grin widened.

"Looks like I'm gonna be eating _from_ _two._ "

Scooter suddenly lunged towards Sky, and she quickly threw herself on the grass beside her. She landed on her forearm, looking up and quickly said a spell, blasting it in Scooter's direction.

He dodged it and sped towards her, grabbing her wrist in a flash. Sky yelped, desperately trying to break free from his grasp. Scooter grinned.

"Thought you were on vacation," he mocked.

"Let go of me!" Sky yelled. She tried to find Benny, but Scooter was blocking most of her vision.

"Come on, Sky," Scooter said, his voice high and psychotic. "Let's _dance._ "

He pulled her up with force, spinning her by the wrist and dipped her in his arms. She tensed, feeling his breath so close to her face. He was drawing closer, and she felt his fangs brush against her neck before—

 _BAM!_

A trail of green magic shot Scooter in the shoulder, knocking him off his feet. He dropped Sky on the ground, who landed with a small "oof!"

"Get away from her." Benny stood across from him, his arm still raised in front of him. Sky smiled tiredly from her place on the ground.

Scooter growled and quickly flipped up off his back and sped towards Benny. He threw a punch at Benny's face. He quickly ducked and kicked Scooter in the leg.

He went on his knees and was about to speed towards Benny once more. Before he could, Benny blasted a spell at his chest. Scooter screamed, the spell forcing him back. His knees dug a trail in the dirt, and he clawed at the ground below him to stop himself from skidding back any farther.

" _ENOUGH!_ " Scooter yelled. He ran towards Benny at regular speed and took him by surprise before Benny could react. Scooter threw a bunch to Benny's cheek, and his head flew to the side.

"Benny!" He could hear Sky scream. Scooter towered above him, his fangs seemingly sharper than ever. He put a hand behind him to stop himself from falling completely onto the ground.

"Maybe I should killed you first," Scooter growled, a smirk painted across his face. "You never even noticed that I was around. You took her before I could."

"She would never love you," Benny gritted out, a trail of blood trickling from his nose. Scooter smiled evilly.

"This should be fu—"

He suddenly disappeared into ash with wide eyes, and replacing him was Sky, now towering above him with a stake in her hand.

Benny's cough cleared the silence.

"I thought we were on a break," he gulped, smiling tiredly. Sky shrugged, dropping the stake extending her hand forward.

"I always keep a stake in my bag," Sky said softly, "just in case."

Benny broke into a wide grin, grabbing Sky's hand and with her help, pulled himself up. Sky wrapped Benny in a tight hug, and Benny is surprised at first, but eventually hugged back.

"That was really badass," she whispered in her shoulder. "Thank you."

He smiled, hugging her tighter. "I have to live up to what you said in that store eventually."

Sky laughed, holding him in a warm embrace before they heard startled shouts behind them.

"Sky! Benny!" They broke apart and turned around. "Guys! Guys I found them!"

They watched Rory speed towards him, followed by Erica, Sarah, and Ethan; all who looked ready to fight.

"Where is he?!" Rory said, chopping the air with his hands. "Lemme kick his ass for you guys!"

Benny and Sky exchanged looks, and Sky crossed her arms.

"I just staked him," Sky said smugly. Rory froze in mid-karate-kick, and Ethan's eyes widened.

"What?" He slowly walked towards them. "A-Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," Benny said, brushing himself off. He smirked at them and added, "You guys really fall apart without the backbone of the team, eh?"

"Shut up, dork," Erica growled. Sarah nudged her, and she sighed, grumbling under her breath, "We're really glad you're safe."

"We're sorry," Sarah said. "We didn't mean to interrupt your vacation. We were hoping to find Scooter before he found you."

"It's fine," Sky said, smiling. "Next time, we should probably figure out some way to be on vacation without being completely disconnected from you guys."

Benny looked at his watch and frowned. "We should leave, Sky. It's, like, 3:15 pm now — our appointment is in five minutes."

"Do you want us to leave?" Ethan asked. Sky looked down at her stomach and smiled.

"No," she said softly. "Why don't we all go inside and find out?"

Everyone exchanged excited looks and Rory cheered, skipping towards the entrance of the office. The rest of them trailed behind them, Sky and Benny being the last ones entering. Benny grabbed Sky's wrist before she could go into the building. She turned to face him.

"Yes?" she asked. Benny smiled.

"I love you," he whispered, pressing his forehead against hers. Sky grinned.

"I love you too," she said. "Let's go meet our baby."

* * *

Sky was lying down on the exam table in the doctor's office. Benny was right beside her on the left side of the table; and Ethan, Sarah, Rory, and Erica were crowding around the right side.

"So today's your first ultrasound," Doctor Lapis said, gently rubbing the gel on Sky's exposed belly. "How exciting!"

"What's that?" Rory asked excitedly, his hand shooting up.

"Dude," Ethan scolded him. Doctor Lapis laughed.

"Oh, it's just a gel that helps transmit the sound waves from the transducer into your body!" she chirped. Rory rose his hand up again.

"What's a transducer?!"

"Babe, it's no school," Erica said, and Rory huffed, crossing his arms. Doctor Lapis smiled.

"It's basically what we are going to use to say hello to the lil' baby!"

"Her accent makes her sound like a farm girl," Erica snickered. Sarah elbowed her sharply.

"Alright!" she said, placing the transducer on the Sky's stomach. "Let's take a look, shall we?"

Sky looked at Benny nervously, and Benny held her hand reassuringly. She smiled, and then felt a small amount of pressure on her belly. Her breath hitched — it was happening.

The monitor flickered to life and then they heard it.

 _Ba-Bump._

A hand went on Sky's mouth and she felt a drop of water fall on her wrist. She looked up and realized that Benny was crying.

"I-It's...so small," Ethan whispered. Sarah wrapped her arms around Ethan's waist.

"It's beautiful," she said quietly.

"Yeah, and the second one looks really comfortable!" Rory exclaimed. Erica's eyes widened.

"Wait," Sky said slowly, "second one?"

"Why yes, as you can see here, there are two in there," Doctor Lapis chirped. Sky and Benny exchanged shocked looks. "You did know you were having twins, did you not?"

"It's their first ultrasound, lady," Erica muttered.

"Erica!" Sarah whined. She rolled her eyes in response.

"T-Twins," Benny stammered. "I-I...I'm going to have two kids."

" _We're_ going to have two kids," Sky said, squeezing his hand with a teary smile. "For God's sake, Benny, we're going to have _twins._ "

"Do you know the gender?!" Rory exclaimed.

"Way to ruin the moment," Sarah muttered.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see that I am going to be right...twice!" Ethan said smugly. Rory glared at him.

"No, I'm gonna be right twice!" Rory retorted. "Having twins increases the statistical chance of it being two boys!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is!"

"No—"

"It's not," Doctor Lapis cut them off.

"Ha!" Ethan cheered. Sarah rolled her eyes. Benny looked at Doctor Lapis shyly.

"Do you have the gender of the babies?" he asked nervously. She beamed.

"Well according to the monitor's reports," she said, "it appears that you're having a boy—"

" _YEEEES!"_ Rory screamed, a wide grin on his face. "I _win!_ Rory Batman Weir will be comin' out of your vagina in a few months!"

"Rory!" Sky exclaimed, mortified.

"If you can let me finish, sir," Doctor Lapis said in a slight monotone; "Ms. Bryans will be having a boy _and_ a girl."

"Oh my God," Benny said, choking back a sob. "When can you get the transducer-thing off you so I can give you a hug?!"

"Benny, I love you," Sky sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you for giving me twins. Thank you for loving me. _Thank you for everything._ "

And they cried, hand in hand, both looking at the monitor that displayed their two babies. Ethan, Erica, and Sarah looked at them with a smile, holding each other close.

"Hold on," Rory said, cutting off the silence.

"Do moments even _exist_ with you?" Sarah groaned.

"What is it, Rory," Ethan muttered.

"Well who won?" Rory asked incredulously. "There's a boy _and_ a girl, which means Ethan and I were right."

"He gives a good point," Ethan said, crossing his arms. "So what's the boy's name gonna be? I mean, we did agree that it would be named after the winner."

"No I didn't!" Sky exclaimed, frustrated.

"Who's going to get the hundred bucks?!" Rory asked, ignoring Sky completely. "I am saving up for the new _Fights 'R Us_ game!"

"The baby's name will be Evan," Sky said firmly. Benny looked at Sky, shocked.

"E-Evan?" he stuttered. Sky smiled.

"Aw, come on!" Rory pouted. "What's so special about Evan?!"

"Because Evelyn would know that you two would be wrong," Sky said quietly. Benny covered his mouth, a smile peeking out between his hand.

"S-Sky," he cried happily, " _thank you._ "

"How about the girl?" Erica asked. She smiled smugly and added, "I think you should keep up with the 'E' trend, if you catch my drift."

"I'm not sure." Sky frowned, and then looked up at Benny.

"Benny?" she prompted. "Any suggestions?"

Benny looked at the monitor one last time, and listened to the quiet heartbeats of his children. He smiled, tears streaming down his face. He placed a hand on Sky's heart.

"Evan," he whispered, "and...and Besky."

* * *

 **a/n- and there we have it! wasn't that just adorable? especially the end, am i right? ahh i am giving myself the feels :)**

 **with that, drop a review if you liked it if you like, and i will see you soon (when i don't update in a million years lololololol)!**

 _ **nọgide na-aga n'ihu (igbo)**_


	9. Mission Not So Impossible: Mind Protocol

**a/n- wassup? it be tobn here with [finally] a new chapter of friends forever! only took me like three months :P**

 **i guess i'll skip the apologies and say that you guys are in for a doozy this time. get excited, i suppose! we are bringing back the spy missions and we are also pushing the lore train toot tOOT. :P**

 **shoutouts to...**

 **bennyweirlover17- heh yup nothing like some good ol' feels :P i am glad you liked the chapter! thank you for reviewing as always — means a lot to me :)**

 **mbav fan66- heh i didn't notice! i guess scooter and scar do share some uncanny similarities :P and yup! team besky is having twins! honestly such a lovely thing in my opinion — hopefully you'll be seeing more of dear ol' besky and evan soon ;D and yes benny getting medicine might be what's best! who knows what i decide to do with good ol' benny though *evil laugh* anywhoo it's getting late and i don't even know what i am typing anymore — thank you for the review as always, fanfic buddy! much love xx**

 **anywhoo let's get the show on the road! a-WOOT WOOT :D**

 **p.s i foreshadowed some stuff — some more obvious than the other heheh eheh try to spot it )**

 **disclaimer: this is definitely not an accurate representation of pregnancy hormones, heh. i just did it for comedic effect for the sake of the story and i am not out to offend anyone. :P**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

Friends Forever: Chapter 9: Mission Not So Impossible: Mind Protocol

* * *

Ethan walked down the sidewalk, the road illuminated by the faint, artificial glow of street lamps.

"Yes, Rory," Ethan said, his phone squeezed between his shoulder and his ear, "I _promise_ that there are no more monsters under your bed...yes, that was last week's problem, okay? I told you that we got rid of them for good...for God's sake you can just clean up the excess ectoplasm…"

He continues to mumble reassurance to the blond vampire, barely paying attention as his mind began to waver. The supernatural activity in Whitechapel had significantly increased in the past few months, ever since the events of Scooter Jackson. From ghosts to...well, monsters under the bed, Team V had their hands filled with a multitude of supernatural cases back to back.

And while it wasn't completely abnormal for the teens, it wasn't easy either. From balancing the last few months of school work, to preparing for the birth of Benny and Sky's twins, Ethan struggled to find a balance between his on-surface life and the secret life he led.

" _But E, what if the monsters, like, breeded? And started their own underground city?"_ Ethan is brought out of his thoughts by Rory's loud gasp. " _Ethan, this could be_ City of the Monsters _all over again. Except...except under a bed!"_

Ethan groaned. "Rory—"

" _Hey, you know what they say — a lady on the streets but a freak in the sheets,"_ Rory interrupted.

"They— Rory, that doesn't even make sense."

Rory's nervous ramble went deaf in his ears. Ethan zoned out of the conversation upon hearing a different sound.

There was a noise coming from someone behind him. Ethan immediately stopped, but did not turn around. He instead tightened his grasp on his backpack, preparing to flip it around and grab his stake in one swift motion.

' _Please don't be a vampire, please don't be a vampire, ple—'_

" _YO, ETHAN!"_

Ethan jumped at the sudden noise coming from his phone, nearly dropping it in the process. He squeezed his eyes shut, annoyed.

"Yes, Rory?" he gritted out, frustrated.

" _Are you even listening to me?"_

Ethan heard the rustle of the bushes once more. He decided to slowly turn around and face the noise when he became face-to-face with a man wearing a trench-coat and sunglasses.

Ethan opened his mouth to scream, but the man lifted his hand and darkly said, " **Don't."**

" _Ethan?"_ Rory's voice echoed in his ear. " _You ordering pizza without me or something?"_

"I…" Ethan gulped. "I am going to have to call you back."

* * *

Benny woke up to the sound of glass shattering.

He shot up immediately, his heart racing.

' _Sky…_ ' he thought, trying to gather his thoughts. ' _She...she stayed over because...I almost got drunk again. She...she's still there.'_

Benny wanted to slap himself _dead._ If something had happened to Sky, it would be because of _him._

"I TOLD YOU THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO TAKE A _FUCKING_ SURVEY!"

Benny frowned, slowly rolling out of bed. He rubbed his head and stumbled down the stairs, dodging the half-empty bottles of beer on the ground. A sharp pain rushed through his head just _thinking_ about it.

This is when a bottle came spiraling towards him.

He quickly ducked, letting out a startled yelp as the bottle shattered on the wall above him. He slowly rose up before another bottle shot towards him once more, and he dodged it, going back down once more. He nervously peered past the staircase rails before immediately pulling back upon seeing Sky glare at him.

Benny whispered a spell under his breath and looked past the rails once more to aim at the phone in Sky's hand. The space around the phone immediately bubbled up in a blaze of green magic, and—much to an angry Sky's confusion—began to float towards Benny.

The phone drifted into his hand and he pressed it against his ear, wincing at the sudden noise of a very nervous sales representative.

"Sir," he began, coughing in between, "I believe it would be to your...benefit that you hang up now. I— yes, I understand you want a five minute survey, but if you don't hang up in five seconds, my girlfriend will probably blow up the pho— I mean blow up in, like, the angry way. Sir, I— sir, goodbye now. Have a lovely night. Morning. I...ugh, goodbye."

Benny hung up the phone before the person could continue to talk. He then hesitantly crawled down the stairs, and when he stood up, he became face-to-face with Sky.

"Um, good morning?" he said quietly. "Or I...I think it is a good morning. I mean, I _hope_ it's a good morning — is it a...a good morning for you?"

His nervous rambles are cut off by Sky's hand.

" _Don't,_ " she grumbled, storming past him and into the kitchen. He blinked, confused, before hearing the sounds of cabinets swinging open and slamming closed. Benny hurried over to the kitchen to see Sky on the tips of her toes.

"Stupid—ugh, _c'mon_ —pickles!" she exclaimed, hopping in attempts of grabbing the jar on the top shelf. Benny smiled to himself and wrapped his arms around her waist, grabbing the jar for her. Sky looked up at him and gave him a small smile.

"Thanks," she said quietly. He handed her the jar, and when she struggled to crack it open, he took it in his hands once more and un-screwed it for her.

"Is everything okay?" he asks nervously. Sky sighs.

"S'fine," she said. "I...I am just feeling really moody."

Benny grimaced. "Hormones?"

"Probably," she replied. Benny looked down at the ground, a look of guilt flashing across his face.

"I am probably not helping with that," he mumbled. "I'm sorry about the drinking. I should be trying harder. I don't even need to—"

"Hey, it's okay!" Sky insisted. "I know you're trying. You...you…"

Her lip began to quiver. Benny's eyes widened, and he was about to take a step back before Sky flung herself onto him, crying in his shoulder.

"Y-You are trying so hard, B-Benny," she sobbed. "Y-You are so amazing, and I-I just want to help you in any way I can, a-and...a-and—"

She wailed loudly before she could finish her sentence, startling Benny. He jumped, before hesitantly embracing her.

"Um, it's...it's okay, Sky," he said quietly. "I...you're amazing too. Of course."

Luckily, his cell phone buzzed before Sky could continue, and he quickly slid out of her grasp and stumbled to the phone, a little dazed as to what just happened.

"Hello?" he asked when he picked it up.

" _Benny?"_ Ethan's voice sounded quiet. " _Benny, I need you to come down here. I'm at the warehouse on Fifth Street. Bring everyone else."_

"Woah, Ethan, what's going on—"

" _Just hurry,"_ Ethan cut him off. " _They're waiting, and I don't think they like to wait."_

He was met with a dial tone, and when he heard the smashing of what sounded like a pickle jar coming from the kitchen, he sighed — today was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Ugh, what does dork-in-command even want," Erica grumbled, fidgeting in her spot at the entrance of the abandoned warehouse. She crossed her arms. "I don't even see why we have to run and get him when he has cool mind powers anymore."

"Yeah, if he is really in trouble, then he could've, like, teleported out of there," Rory agreed. Erica rolled her eyes.

"He can't teleport, Rory," Erica retorted. "Besides, if Ethan said it was important, then it probably is."

"He mentioned that 'they' don't like waiting," Sarah added. "Does anyone know what that means, or—"

"Aliens!" Rory exclaimed loudly, cutting Sarah off abruptly. "It has to be aliens. They're holding Ethan hostage and they're going to probe the hell out of him!"

"Not helping," Sarah muttered, tapping her foot anxiously. "Are we going to go in or what?"

"We're waiting for Benny to get Sky," Erica grumbled. "Apparently Benny said she's screaming at some heckler."

"Heckler?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah some dude whistled at her," Erica replied.

"It was a kid from WC High — one of the niners most likely on a dare or something," Rory added. Sarah frowned.

"Why would Benny call that a heckler?"

"Probably because Sky claimed that he was 'interrupting the show'," Rory responded, "or whatever that means."

Rory smiled in your direction _._ Erica nudged him, giving him a "what the hell are you doing?" kind of look, and he smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"She's really that moody, huh?" Sarah asked. "Pregnancy hormones really getting her, I guess.

Erica nodded. "Somehow, I can relate," she mused. Rory grinned.

"Wow, babe — I didn't know sex was _that_ good last night." He winked, raising his hand up and cheering, "Aha, zinger! Pregnancy joke — up top!"

Erica shifted, her smile falling as she crossed her arms. Sarah looked at her, slightly confused and concerned. Rory's hand immediately fell to his side as he blinked.

"Um, right, bad joke," he stammered quietly. "Sorry."

Erica said nothing, and Sarah frowned. She opened her mouth to ask Erica what was up, before they heard a familiar voice.

"Benny, get off me!" The three vampires turned around. "Benny, I— geez alright! I am just saying, I could've totally spanked that guy with lightning — he was really grinding my gears, alright?"

" 'Grinds my gears'?" Rory shuddered. "God, what the hell did she do with that lightning?"

Erica elbowed him and Sarah rolled her eyes.

"It's a _Family Guy_ reference I think," Sarah said.

"Honestly I think everything is grinding her gears," Erica muttered.

"It just sounds so...wrong," Rory whispered under his breath. Erica was about to just give in and punch him when Benny finally arrived, dragging Sky alongside him.

"Sorry for the detour guys," he said with a small smile.

"It would've been worth something if you actually let me pound a fist on that guy," Sky grumbled, crossing her arms. Erica sighed sympathetically.

"Hormones getting to you, huh Bryans?"

"Stick your fangs more up in my business, why don't ya?" Sky snapped, lunging at Erica. Benny pulled her back once more, and Erica hissed instinctively.

"Sky," Benny said warningly. Sky recoiled.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, lip trembling. "I-I...I just really get emotional, and—"

"Erica just please forgive her before she gets into the emotional part of the cycle," Benny hissed. "Seriously, that part's _the worse._ "

Erica rolled her eyes, but went up to Sky anyway, patting her shoulder and gritting out through a toothy grin, "Hey, it's alright...friendo."

Rory grinned, and Sarah bit back a small snicker. Benny rolled his eyes and grabbed Sky's arm gently.

"Rory and Erica, you stay out here and keep an eye out for anything remotely suspicious," Benny instructed. Erica muttered, "Thank God" and Rory grinned widely.

"Sarah and I are going to go inside." Benny looked at Sky. "You want to join us, babe?"

"Nah, probably best I stay out here," she said with a weak smile. "Maybe if I'm lucky, a walking punching bag will come my way."

"Good plan," he said with a small grin, kissing her cheek. "We'll be right back with Ethan."

Rory sat on the ground, cross-legged, with a derpy grin. Erica rolled her eyes, but sat down beside him. Sky, on the other hand, opted to stand up, arms crossed like a bodyguard.

Benny looked at Sarah, hesitant, but Sarah patted his back reassuringly and led him inside.

The place was darker than Benny remembered — the last time he was in this warehouse was when a certain someone was holding him hostage and turning people into ice.

He shuddered at the memory.

"You alright?" Sarah asked. Benny snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her.

"Of course I am," he said. "You?"

"Fine," Sarah huffed. She smirked and added, "A bit surprised that it isn't you."

"Read my mind," Benny said, rolling his eyes. The quiet echoes of murmurs suddenly filled their ears, and they slowly make their way to the end of an aisle, metal shelves towering above them.

"Actually, you're thinking about how the person responsible for all your troubles is still out there."

Benny and Sarah froze, turning around to face the voice. They became face-to-face with a tall man in a fedora, trenchcoat, and sunglasses.

"You're mad, aren't you," the man continued, walking towards Benny. "You want to be out of here as soon as possible because this is just another detour in your search to find Mark Peterson again. This is just another dark alley in your dimly-lit path to find the _Shadow._ "

He paused when he saw Benny's face harden, and added, "Huh. I guess you're surprised to hear that name again, aren't you."

"Who—"

"I am Soldais," the man said. "And I have a variety of powers before you ask me."

Benny's jaw tightened, almost annoyed. "Read my mind."

"Why aren't you reading my mind?" Sarah asked, a bit stumped. The man held his hand up.

"Too much going on," he replied in a monotonous voice. "Too much 'ohh am I going to save my dearest Ethie'; in all honesty, it's rather loud— _oh."_

The man stopped mid-sentence, circling around an now-annoyed Sarah and a frustrated Benny.

"You're the friends Mr. Morgan requested to call before he left," The man—Soldais—hummed. Sarah's eyes widened.

"W-What?" she stammered. Soldais nodded.

"Yes, it is rather abrupt, we realize," he continued, leading them through the warehouse. "But we, _the Animos_ , are a powerful group of Seers who recruit new members every millennium. We have sensed a newfound power in Whitechapel and immediately knew that we must capture this new spark of energy while it is still young, which would allow us to develop this power at an exponential rate. This, of course, led us to Mr. Morgan."

"Seers?" Sarah echoed. "Powers? E-Ethan doesn't have any other powers other than seeing...broken visions of the future upon contact. Nothing a normal Seer can't do."

Soldais faced Benny, whose eyes are glued to the ground. He grinned.

"You're right, Mr. Weir," Soldais murmured. "She is right up until the 'contact' part. We have been seeing reports of new instances in which Mr. Morgan has displayed visions of the future without the assistance of contact."

Sarah glared at Benny. "Since when?"

"Since, like, last Sunday," Benny whispered back. He glared at Soldais and muttered, "Damn you guys work fast."

"You're lucky, Mr. Weir," Soldais said, circling around Benny. "I know you're thinking of just offering yourself up instead. I hear that's a certain...trend that you enjoy following. Potenia said that it might do us good to have a Seer-spellmaster hybrid on our team. However, I found you a bit too...now how do I say this? I found you a bit too... _dead_ to be useful."

Benny visibly stiffened. Soldais continued, "Perhaps she liked you because you were _like her."_

Sarah grabbed his hand and smiled reassuringly at him, squeezing it softly. Soldais scoffed loudly.

"Ugh, reassurance," he grumbled. "You vampires are all about being...awfully pretentious."

They turned a corner and were greeted by a group of people surrounding a standing Ethan, who was being forced into a black jumpsuit. Everyone was dressed in black—most of which Benny noticed were men—but there was a single girl in a skinny, leather, black cocktail dress, tracing her nail on Ethan's cheek. Sarah's grasp on Benny's hand tightened.

"Get the _fuck_ away from him," she growled. Ethan's eyes immediately darted up upon hearing Sarah and he pushed past the people forcing him into the jumpsuit, almost tripping on it as he ran towards Sarah. He wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Sarah," he whispered. "Thank God you're here. I...I wanted to say goodbye before I left."

"Ethan, you're not leaving," Sarah said firmly. "Did they mess with your mind? Please snap out of it, I—"

"I have to go, Sarah," Ethan said quietly. "If I don't, they're going to kill my family. My mom, my dad, Jane, _you._ "

"Ethan," Benny said warningly, and Ethan glared at him. A beat of silence passed before Benny's eyes widened. He nodded in understanding, slowly backing up.

"We should go, Sarah," Benny whispered. "Ethan...he has to leave too."

Soldais eyed him suspiciously. Sarah glared at Benny.

"What?" Sarah asked. "We're just going to _leave_? This early? Without doing _anything?_ "

Benny said nothing out loud.

" _ **Sky,**_ " he thought, praying this would work. " _ **I need you all to go to the back of the warehouse as soon as poss—"**_

Benny suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head, and he roared in agony, falling to his knees. His hands flew to the side of his head, a loud voice ringing in his ears.

" **Well, a bit rude, innit?"** Soladis' voice echoed in his mind. " **You have a link with someone. No need to hide such a marvellous trait."**

"It's a shame," Soldais spoke loudly over Benny's screams. "Such a phenomenon will die with someone as _pathetic_ as you."

The sounds of running echo in the warehouse. All members of the members looked up simultaneously, almost deadly in sync, and Benny had the scary thought of that could be Ethan — _brainless._

He had to fight.

He struggled to stand up, trying to fight back against the pulses of pain shooting through his head that Soldais was using against him. His vision blurred, and all he could hear was screams and all he could see was fuzzy images of...blonde.

"— _ **ET UP, I SAID, PLEASE! BENNY!"**_

A high-pitched, painful noise shot through him and he groaned loudly before it cleared, Sky's clear voice echoing in his mind. He stumbled to his feet, and when he did, he found that the warehouse was void of Soldais or his members. Rory and Erica stood around a shaking Ethan, and the sight of Sky filled his vision. His sight sharpened once more, clearing the blurs in his vision.

"S-Sky?" he stammered. Sky pulled him up and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Don't you ever do that again," she whispered in his shoulder. "God I thought you died. I couldn't find you, I—"

"Hey, it's alright," he said, his voice slightly scratchy. "I'm sorry for worrying you. It was stupid, I knew Soldais could—"

" _Soldais_ ," Sky growled, suddenly clawing at Benny's back. "He did this to you. He did this to _Sarah._ "

"Sarah?" Benny pulled back. "Woah, slow down, Sky. Or...or calm down. Or just tell me what the hell just happened."

"T-They...they took Sarah," Ethan stammered. "Soldais grabbed her, threw her a-at...at some _girl_ —"

"Potenia," Erica murmured. "He called her Potenia."

"—and that girl just touched Sarah's forehead a-and...and Sarah _screamed._ "

"Ethan, it's going to be okay," Benny said, stumbling towards him by accident. Ethan caught Benny before he could fall.

"We should bring you back to your gra—" Rory stopped dead in his sentence. He cleared his throat. "Sky's parents. They might know what to do."

Benny winced, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Does it still hurt?" Sky asked, concerned. Benny faintly shook his head.

"Sarah…," he whispered. "Where'd—"

"We're bringing you to Sky's parents," Ethan whispered, swinging Benny's arm around his neck. "We'll find Sarah. This isn't anything we can't defeat."

He looked up at everyone hopelessly. "Right?"

"How do we defeat someone who is always in our heads?" Erica whispered, almost afraid.

Everyone remained quiet.

* * *

Mr. Bryans said their origins trace back to the early days of Whitechapel.

Or Black Chapel, Sky reminded herself. Either way it was a long time ago, and Ethan's ancestors have apparently been common victims of the Seers.

"Potenia Animos was the one who founded the Animos," Mr. Bryans said, flipping through one of Evelyn's old books. "It says here that she found Soldais—an abused, mute teenager in an orphanage—and gave him parts of her powers, as she wanted to start some kind of league, but knew she couldn't do it on her own. Along with her powers, she also gave him her voice."

"That's kind of sweet actually," Rory remarked. Everyone stared at him, and he sheepishly sank back down in his seat.

"God almighty," Mr. Bryans whispered quietly, her eyes falling to the bottom of the page.

"What is, dad?" Mr. Bryans pressed the bridge of his nose, his foot suddenly tapping anxiously on the ground.

"Their attacks trace back to the Morgan heritage." Ethan perked up upon hearing what Mr. Bryans said. "It says they always constantly fought against the Animos, knowing that they only wish to build an army of powerful Seers and use them as lethal weapons against humanity."

"Alright, so we have a connection," Ethan said, leaning forward with his arms on his knees. "What's so wrong with that?"

Mr. Bryans took off his reading glasses and massaged his forehead, sighing.

"It says that no Morgan has ever survived," Mr. Bryans said quietly. "There were many wars underneath the churches of Whitechapel, where no one dared to go, and...and the Animos have always won."

Everyone was quiet.

"That's why they were so surprised when they got me," Ethan murmured under his breath. "I didn't put up a fight. They threatened me and...and that was it. I gave up."

Ethan groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Holy crap, I am the biggest disappointment in the Morgan bloodline."

"Hey, just because you're different than your family doesn't mean you're stupid," Sky said quietly.

"If anything, you're smarter," Erica added, crossing her arms. "You survived after all. Maybe your cowardice has its benefits."

Sky glared at Erica sharply and Erica shrugged, saying, "What, it's true!"

"You said they were underneath the churches of Whitechapel," Ethan said. "Does it specify which one? Maybe that's where they are hiding out. Sarah is pretty much what they are bargaining — my life, or hers."

The words fell out before he could stop them. The room fell silent.

"It says that it's under St. Valentine's Cathedral," Mr. Bryans said.

"Hey, that's where we fought zombie bride!" Rory said, eyes widening.

"Ghost bride," Erica corrected lightly.

"No matter!" Rory cheered. "We have to infiltrate the base! It's going to be a...a spy mission! We have to get the Bluetooth headsets!"

Everyone rolled their eyes. As if on cue, they heard a crash from the kitchen.

"Oh dear," they heard Mrs. Bryans say from the kitchen. "Alright Benny, dear, just...just over here— be careful, that's a corner!"

Benny stumbled out of the kitchen, pressing an ice pack to his head. Sky stood up immediately.

"Are you okay— i-is...is he alright?" she rushed out. Mrs. Bryans smiled.

"Yes, Sky, he's fine," she said. "He hit his head pretty hard, and I think his ears are still ringing, but—"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Benny said loudly. Everyone winced at the loud noise, and Ethan sighed.

"Benny can go up with me," he announced, standing up. "I need to try and practice something — I guess you guys can start getting ready."

"We'll try to find out how the church's underground is set up," Sky said. "I mean, the hormones are telling me to kick down that door and kick their asses, but I think they're probably really prepared for our arrival and...and it's a spy mission. So we need a plan, I guess."

Rory grinned, and started speeding around the house, papers flying everywhere. Ethan sighed, and looked at Benny.

"Let's go?" Benny blinked at him cluelessly. Ethan sighed and grabbed his arm, dragging him upstairs into Sky's bedroom.

* * *

"How's your head?" Ethan asked, taking deep breaths as he prepared for the beginning of his practice. Benny pressed the ice-pack to his head, occasionally dropping it when flipping the pages of the book that was in his hand.

"S'fine," he mumbled. "It could be worse."

Ethan smiled sympathetically, and closed his eyes.

"Okay, I think I'm ready," he said, eyes still closed. "What does the book tell me to do?"

"It says to take a deep breath, say 'oo-va seer-a' three times, and then rub your head while rubbing your belly," he said softly, and Ethan's shoulders sagged, disappointed and frankly, annoyed.

"Seriously," Ethan said, "just the littlest things can set me off my 'zen.' And I have to be completely zen for this to work."

"Zen," Benny deadpanned. Ethan shrugged.

"Yeah, obviously." His eyes remained shut. "Now tell me what I have to do."

"Well in all honesty E, the book isn't all that helpful." Benny winced at the small pressure in his head, but did his best to ignore it. "All it says is to focus on your breathing and focus on when you want to go."

"When?" Ethan echoed, eyes fluttering open. "Don't you mean where?"

Benny frowned at him, and Ethan blinked.

"Close your eyes, Ethan," Benny said. "I suppose we have to take this seriously."

Ethan groaned in response but closed his eyes anyway, sitting patiently on his bed, cross-legged.

"Focus on when you want to go," Benny said. "All it says that your powers will be the one to take you there — a load of bullshit to be honest."

Ethan couldn't quite hear him.

He squeezed his eyes shut and made sure only his breathing was the only thing he heard. He narrowed his mind to one objective, one _person._

' _Sarah.'_

' _Find Sarah.'_

' _She's gone, find_ _ **Sarah.'**_

' _Sarah.'_

' _ **School'**_ _._

' _Sarah. Find—'_

Ethan paused.

' _Find out what? '_

' _Find the_ _ **school.'**_

Ethan's eyes shut harder.

' _Sidetracked. Sarah. What happens with Sarah, what do I have to prepare for—'_

* * *

 _Ethan's eyes shoot open in a mere second._

 _He's in a garden._

 _He blinks, trying to regain his surroundings. Everyone's...everyone's screaming. They're screaming and there are blurs of red and white._

 _ **Whitechapel High.**_

 _But it's not a garden he's familiar with because— because the school doesn't have a garden, he thinks; but it's not unfamiliar._

 _He takes one step and someone grabs his arm. When he turns around, it's bright brown eyes—_ _ **Sarah's eyes**_ — _and they're_ _ **screaming**_ _._

" **STRIPPED."**

 _He frowns, trying to decipher what's coming out of her mouth. He wants to scream her name, ask her where she was and how he could save them from_ _ **Ma**_ _(nimo)_ _ **rk.**_

 _He freezes._

 _The Animos. That is his objective. He must find the Animos, he must find where they are and he must save Sarah, save Whitechapel, save—_

 _ **Him.**_

" **SKY IS DOWN."**

 _The baby, he recalls; didn't someone—  
_ _ **["i wasn't who i said i was"]**_

— _stab her?_

" **ERICA AND RORY HAVE WENT TO HUNT** _ **HER**_ **DOWN."**

 _There's only three girls in their group, Ethan frantically recalls, and he already knows the state of all three.  
_ _There's...there's only one girl in the Animos though— Potentia, where is she?_

" **BENNY IS ALONE."**

 _Ethan's heart skips a beat. Sarah's mouth continues to move, but no words go out. Suddenly, he hears a laugh in the distant, heavily_ _ **accented.**_

 _Black dust surrounds him, and the quiet hum of an all-too-familiar British accent floats in his ears._

" _ **ashes,  
**_ _ **ashes,**_

 _Sarah steps back and when she does, Benny is in his vision; on his knees and_ _ **screaming**_

 _ **we all fall down."**_

 _A graduation cap hits him on the head.  
_ _ **A vampire threw it.**_

* * *

Ethan's eyes shot open and he took a sharp inhale of breath, gasping for air.

"Water," is the first thing he heard. When his vision cleared, he noticed Benny, standing in front of him. "You need water. I can probably, like, melt this ice-pack or something."

"It's okay, B," Ethan grumbled, slowly standing up and rubbing his head. "Jesus _fuck…_ "

"So?" Benny asked, sitting on the edge of Sky's bed. "What did you see?"

"Nothing helpful," he muttered, plopping back down beside Benny on the bed. He said more quietly, "I suppose my mind...it was in an entirely different place."

"That's fine," Benny said after a beat of silence. "It isn't really essential that we know exactly what happens anyway, considering the Animos probably already know."

"There has to be some kind of limitation to their powers," Ethan mumbled quietly. "What is the weakness to a mind that can sense all?"

"Well what just happened with you?"

"Well, my mind wasn't in the right—"

Ethan paused. Benny smiled, and it clicked.

"You're a fucking genius," Ethan said, enveloping Benny in a big hug. He could feel Benny tense, but eventually soften in his grasp.

He smiled too.

" _Ahem."_

The two, still on the bed, turn to face the door, where Sky, Rory, and Erica were standing. They donned black jumpsuits, and were holding two more.

"We figured we'd...blend in," Erica said dully, as if dissatisfied with the whole ordeal.

"Strange. Benny's never usually the bottom." Ethan and Benny blush at Sky's words.

Two Bluetooth headsets hit the boys' heads.

"We're going to kick some ass!" Rory grinned. "And I figured I'd call our favourite sociopath to help us out. You know, _per tradition._ "

Benny groaned, throwing Ethan off him and burying his face in Sky's pillow.

"Oh, Mr. Keaner," the familiar voice said. When Ethan looked over the bed from the ground he landed on, he silently groaned.

Jesse smiled. "Sociopath is a rather generous title, don't you think?"

* * *

"Why do we even need him," Benny grumbled, hands in his pockets. "We are clearly capable of this on our own."

Sky shrugged. "I dunno, but…"

She trailed off. Benny looked at her, almost annoyed.

"What?"

"...has he been working out?"

Benny stopped in his tracks and glared at Sky.

"You are lucky you are pregnant with two lovely children and you are _lucky_ that I have a basic understanding of pregnancy hormones after reading all your mum's books," he hissed under his breath. Sky rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she sped up to talk to Jesse some more.

"God why is he even here again," Benny muttered as Ethan caught up to him. Rory and Erica stayed in the back, reading over a map on Erica's phone. Sky and Jesse led the way.

"He has to be here," Ethan said with a sigh. "Erica told me that Jesse has been tracking the Animos for months. That supernatural agency he works for? Yeah, they've traced the group back here. I swear everyone knew about the Animos before we did."

Benny chuckled as Ethan continued.

"Technically, he has to be on site, monitoring the Animos' capture and helping in any way possible. In all honesty, while we have pretty much all the control over the situation, I think he gets that and is just here to tear open some old wounds."

"Wonderful," Benny said. "Love to have Mr. Jack Smellington over here to join us."

" _A wonderful movie, Mr. Weir_ ," Jesse's voice buzzed through his headset, startling Benny. " _Might I remind you that I can hear everything you're saying. And it's not only because you left your headset on."_

Benny flicked it off with an annoyed grunt. "Geez, 'might I remind you'? When did he turn 900?"

" _It's rude to guess someone's age."_ Benny rolled his eyes at the response. " _I've just watched a bunch of_ Sherlock _recently — now please, Benny, stop thinking out loud. Or rather, stop_ _ **thinking**_ — _you're lowering the IQ of the entire neighbourhood."_

Benny fought off the temptation to throw his headset at Jesse — _especially_ when Sky began to laugh.

" _ **You have horrible aim, B."**_

Benny paused, and Ethan stopped too.

"Did you say something, E?" Benny asked. "Because...because I swore I just heard you say I had poor aim — which, by the way, is totally not true."

"I didn't say anything," Ethan said. "I...I thought you said you wanted to hit him."

" _Super hearing, dumbo-geektrons,"_ Jesse's voice buzzed both their headsets. Sky's laugh is audible.

"You read my mind," Benny said with a wide smile. "Holy crap, E, that is amazing — what am I thinking about right now?"

Ethan frowned, closing his eyes for a split second before his face wrinkled in disgust. He punched Benny in the arm.

"Dude," he said, "seriously?"

Benny grinned. "Just making sure. I guess you'll have to try harnessing that power when we go on with the plan."

" _Say, what_ _ **is**_ _this plan anyway?"_ Rory's voice crackled in their ears loudly. Benny winced.

"Can _everyone_ read minds nowadays?" Benny grumbled.

" _Super hearing!"_ Rory chirped in response. " _It's actually really cool, especially because—"_

" _Can everyone just walk in the same group,"_ Erica's annoyed voice grumbled. " _Please."_

Sky and Jesse turn around, and Rory, Erica, Sky, and Jesse walk towards Ethan and Benny. Ethan sighed.

"Alright, here's the deal…"

* * *

They are greeted by two guards at the bottom of the basement stairs, guarding a steel door.

"Geez, the broke-down church ends here," Rory murmured, almost amazed. "It's like there's a whole lab stuck in between...cobwebs and wooden planks. So awesome."

" _Focus, Rory,"_ Ethan's voice buzzed in their ears. " _You need to take them down. We're waiting at the top of the stairs. It's only a matter of time before this stops working and they'll know we're here. Hurry."_

Rory and Erica exchange looks.

"Hey," one guard said lowly, facing the other guard. "Those guys are thinking about beating us u—"

The guard to the left suddenly fell to his knees. Erica's eyes widened, almost surprised.

"S-So...so loud!" the guard shouted. "What...what the _fuck_ is that?!"

"The Nyan cat theme!" Rory cheered. Erica rolled her eyes and side-kicked the other guard in the face. The steel door swung open and out flooded more guards.

Rory and Erica began fighting, throwing punches and dodging kicks flying at them.

Meanwhile, at the top of the stairs, Jesse, Sky, Benny, and Ethan hear the sounds of grunts and loud kicks.

"Guys, you have to be louder," Ethan said. "I can sense that you are starting to fade out."

"I hate these sudden powers you have, Morgan," Jesse grunts. "If I have to sing one more round of _Mr. Brightside_ in my head, I will—"

"Do you want to get killed or not?" Benny hissed. "Shut up and sing it. In your head."

"You need to drown out your minds with as much random nonsense as you can," Ethan said. "If you falter even for a second, you risk the Animos getting in your head."

Jesse rolled his eyes, and Sky smirked at him.

"You know what song's in my head right now?" Sky purred, leaning on Jesse. His eyes widened as she whispered, " _Love Me Harder."_

She mimicked a cat growling and Benny yanked her off, ignoring Jesse's smug smile.

"Are you fucking serious—"

" **Why hello again, Mr. Weir."**

The high-pitched noise roars in Benny's mind again. He screams, falling back down to his knees. Ethan's eyes widened.

"They know we're here," Ethan muttered. "We have to move fast."

Jesse grabbed the fallen Benny and super speeds him down the stairs, fast enough so no guards could see them.

" _We're in,"_ Jesse said to everyone on their headsets. " _Weir and I are going to find the main room where Soldais and the rest of his crew are and take them down. I'll keep the dork at bay from more of Soldais' ruckus — maybe mess with his mind a little so Soldais doesn't have to."_

"Hot," Sky said lowly. Ethan glared at her and Sky quickly said, "Uh, I meant...not. You...you are not to do that."

" _Rory and Erica have to stay outside and fight — there's more guards coming your way,"_ Jesse said, ignoring Sky. " _Ethan and Sky — I trust you know where the '_ _ **Cubiculum'**_ _is."_

"Yup." Sky held onto Ethan's hand. She closed her eyes and said her spell.

" _Ego vis ad iter ad cubiculum."_

A stream of blue magic surround Ethan and Sky until they magically transport to a room that's lined in dark red velvet. The sheets, the curtains, the carpet.

The back of that chair.

The door slams shut with the lift of her hand and Ethan and Sky exchange looks. The chair spun around to reveal the girl— _Potenia—_ stroking a white cat.

No one has to say anything for Ethan and Sky to realize that _they were expected._

* * *

Rory and Erica stood amongst guards on the ground, some groaning in pain and some unconscious. Rory held out his hand towards Erica.

"We did good, babe. Up top!" he cheered.

Erica looked at him and frowned, before slowly putting his hand down. Rory's smile fell, but Erica gave a smug smile and kissed his cheek instead. He blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.

" _Guys, I might have screwed up a little,"_ Jesse's voice said tentatively in their headset. " _You guys need to come over here and help me out with Soldais and his lil' gang."_

" _Jesse, Sky can't communicate with Benny,"_ Ethan's voice buzzed back at the same time. " _What the hell did you do with Benny?"_

Erica and Rory exchanged looks, before speeding past the fallen guards and through the door to see Benny on the ground, and Jesse landing kicks on the faces of a multitude of Animos members.

"What the _hell_ did you do with him?" Erica yelled. Jesse swung a punch at a guy's face, and faced Erica.

"He was screaming like a maniac," Jesse grunted, dodging a kick. Erica threw a fist at a member before looking at Jesse once more. "Soldais kept finding a way into his mind because he is pretty much brain-lightweight, so I just...blocked it."

"What?!" Erica yelled.

" _What?!"_ Ethan yelled in his ear. He winced at the noise, which gave the opportunity for a member to body-check him onto the ground. Jesse roared, and threw the member off him.

"Hey, Morgan! I am on your team here — can you _not_ distract me from fighting?" Jesse grumbled, standing up and brushing himself off.

" _Maybe you should learn to turn off your headset too,"_ Ethan retorted. " _What do you mean you blocked Benny's mind?!"_

Jesse hopped on a table, wary of the members closing in on him. He looked up and saw a chandelier, grabbing it and forcing it to spin around, landing kicks on every member until he back-flipped back onto the ground.

"I just blocked the thoughts coming in," Jesse said as if it were obvious. "That way, Soldais couldn't interfere with his mind."

" _Jesus Christ,"_ Ethan muttered. " _Fix it, Jesse."_

"Um, a little busy here!" Jesse yelled, continuing to fight off members. "I'm supposed to rally them all up — not fix a problem I caused."

"Typical Count Jackass," Erica muttered. She faced Rory, who was currently banging two members' heads together with a goofy grin.

"Rory, I need you to un-glamour Benny, or whatever," she said. "I am going to back Jesse up."

Rory nodded. As he made his way to Benny, he became face to face with one of the Animos members. Rory's eyes widened as he threw a punch towards his face.

He quickly ducked under the man's punch, and sped underneath the man's arm, pulling him over his head. When Rory stood up, the man was on the ground, holding his arm in pain. He smirked, and then made his way to Benny, who was stirring on the ground.

"So, how do I fix this," Rory asked in his headset, slowly lifting Benny's head and noticing how his eyes were blank. Benny was mumbling indecipherable, and Rory frowned.

" _You just need to glamour him and override Jesse's command by saying something like 'you will return back to normal' or something,"_ Ethan said.

" _I suggest when you're done, you go and chase after Soldais,"_ Jesse piped up. " _Benny is probably in less danger with one mind-bender than twenty. Erica and I can stay here."_

Rory nodded, watching as Erica get thrown against a wall by someone's mind. He winced.

He needed to hurry.

"Benny, look into my eyes," Rory said, stretching the last word. Benny's head limply rolled and caught Rory's stare, and they glazed yellow. "You will return back to normal and...and then buy me a soda after all of this."

" _RORY!"_ Ethan hissed.

"I am sorry, I am thirsty!" Rory retorted.

Benny shot up, rubbing his head.

"What the hell happened…" he murmured. Rory shook his head.

"No time," he said. "We have to get to Soldais."

Rory looked at Jesse, helping Benny up, and flashed him a thumbs up. Jesse rolled his eyes, but nodded.

He scanned the room before seeing the familiar hem of a trenchcoat float out of the room. He grabbed Benny and without warning, Rory sped the spellmaster out of the room, chasing after Soldais.

"Jesus Christ, Rory," Benny mumbled in his shoulder. "Slow down, would ya?"

Soldais turned around and lifted his arm. He closed his eyes, and a potted plant began to float in the air.

"He's moving it with his mind," Rory murmured, freezing in his spot. The force of stop threw Benny over Rory's head, sending him flying towards Soldais.

"ARGH!" Benny screamed, crashing into Soldais and knocking him onto the ground. Soldais' sunglasses fell off and Benny saw it.

His eyes were still white.

"Y-You're...blind," he whispered.

Soldais growled, squeezing his eyes shut and sending painful pulses through Benny's mind. Benny roared, leaving him limp enough for Soldais to push Benny onto the ground. They switched positions, Soldais now pressing a screaming Benny against the ground.

" **I think I have had enough of you, Mr. Weir,"** his voice rang in Benny's ears. Benny groaned in pain. " **Perhaps I** _ **am**_ **fighting a corpse — maybe I should be the one to dig your own grave."**

Benny grunted, trying his best to drown out the noise. His heart was racing and his vision was blurring.

Then he saw,  
 _blond._

Soldais fell to the ground.

When Benny's vision cleared, he saw Rory standing above Soldais' fallen body, with a potted plant in his hands.

"Super hearing," Rory said with a smug smile. Benny smiled back.

Erica and Jesse sped their way not too long after, and they saw Rory helping Benny up, a potted plant tucked under his arm.

"The other Animos are all cuffed up and— oh...oh _wow,"_ Jesse said, trailing off.

"What happened?" Erica asked as Jesse stuck supernatural-blocking handcuffs on Soldais wrists. Rory grinned.

"I hit him with a plant!" he cheered. He held up the plant and added,"And now I have a souvenir!"

Benny chuckled tiredly, slowly standing up.

"Thanks, Rory," Benny said. "Now let's go find the last one."

* * *

Potenia said nothing.

"This is creepy," Sky whispered. "Can...can I hit her yet?"

"Calm down," Ethan said. "She's trying to do something."

Potenia stood up, setting the cat aside and raising her hand, her eyes narrowing at Sky.

The blonde spellmaster screamed, being lifted up on the ground and towards Potenia. She struggled in her grasp, and Ethan's eyes widened.

"E-Ethan!" Sky gritted out. "S-She... _loose!"_

Potenia narrowed her eyes even more, focusing on Sky's mind. Sky let out a painful yelp, struggling to break free from Potenia's grasp. Ethan frowned.

" _Loose…?"_

Then he remembered.

"You're weak."

Potenia glared at Ethan, who was slowly stepping towards her.

"Sarah's taking up a lot of energy in your mind," Ethan said, realization slowly hitting him. "So your...your mind is _weak._ "

Ethan smiled at Sky. "I think you can hit her now."

Sky smirked. "F-Finally."

Without warning, Sky twisted so hard that Potenia's telepathic grasp on her loosened. She roared, landing straight on Potenia. Eyes wide, Potenia pushed Sky off her.

Sky managed to do a backflip so that she landed on her feet. She swung a kick to the side of Potenia's head, but Potenia dodged it, closing her eyes and throwing Sky across the room.

Sky slammed into a bookshelf, and Ethan's eyes widened, knowing that he'd have to start concentrating if he wanted to pull off the biggest stunt of his life.

"You...little... _bitch,_ " Sky screamed, and she charged towards Potenia and body-checked her back into the ground.

Ethan could feel Potenia's mind loosen,  
and so he closed his eyes and—

* * *

 _Ethan's eyes shot open._

 _He was in a dark castle, and Sarah was swinging in a metal cage that was hanging from the ceiling._

" _Sarah!" he cried out, beginning to run towards her when Potenia stopped him in his tracks, circling around him._

" _ **hello little boy, came to join the fun?"**_ _She paused, and then continued to sing,_ " _ **my goodness, i can sense...you're a morgan's son."**_

 _Ethan's eyes widened — Potenia was...singing._

" _ **alone i've been for quite too long,**_ " _she continued,_ " _ **alone i've been with only my song."**_

 _She grabbed Ethan's neck, and he could hear Sarah scream._

" _ **your last chance boy, or no longer move forward;**_

 _ **you can come with us, likewise to a coward.**_

 _ **or your maiden shall burn and rot in her cage,  
pay the price of disobedience and feel my RAGE!"**_

 _Ethan closed his eyes, focusing on something else._

 _Something happier._

 _Something—_

 _A single flower replaced one of the chains holding Sarah hostage, and the whole cage fell from the ceiling. Sarah's eyes widened, but she could still not get out._

" _ **aren't you afraid?!"**_ _Potenia screamed, and Ethan's mind went dark again, fear starting to soak in._ " _ **aren't you petrified?! if you don't leave now, pay the price with your LIFE!"**_

' _Sarah could die._

 _Sarah could die._

 _You could fail,'_

" _ **everyone will die,"**_ _Potenia sung, venom in her voice._ " _ **your little dream...your worst nightmare. a funeral perhaps, is what you should prepare."**_

" _ETHAN!" Sarah screamed. "It's going to be okay! Her powers! They can be str—"_

 _Potenia glared at Sarah, who fell to her knees in the cage once more, grabbing her head in pain. Ethan's eyes widened._

 _Concentrate,  
_ _concentrate,  
_ _concentrate;_

 _Because Sarah needs you,_

 _Strive for victory,  
_ _Strive—  
_ _ **Stripped.**_

 _Ethan's eyes widened._

" _You want to play that game," Ethan asked. "Fine. Let's play."_

 _Ethan closed his eyes, letting the one word race through his head._

 _ **Stripped.  
**_ _ **Stripped.  
**_ _ **Stripped.  
Stripped.  
**_

" _ **WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"**_ _Potenia screamed._ " _ **I...I—"**_

 _Potenia screamed, and Ethan sent a final pulse of energy through Potenia, and watched as her powers exploded out of her in a wave of supernatural energy. Ethan was blown onto his back, and the cage holding Sarah exploded._

 _Ethan felt his visions fade to black._

* * *

When he came to, Ethan found himself on Sky's couch.

"You're awake!" is the first thing he heard. He slowly sat up, his head aching. When his vision cleared, he saw the face of _Sarah._

"You're okay," he breathed out, giving her a big hug. Sarah laughed.

"All thanks to you, Ethie!" she said happily. "God you were...you were amazing!"

"Sick Jedi powers, dude!" Rory cheered. Erica rolled her eyes, and Jesse grunted.

"You were decent, Morgan," he mumbled. Straightening up, Jesse added, "All the Animos were teleported back to the supernatural agency. They won't be bothering anyone anymore."

"What happened?" Ethan asked. Sky smiled.

"Sarah said that because Potenia trapped Sarah in her mind, she became weaker," Sky said. "Weak enough for you to...to take her powers away."

"I...what?" Ethan said. He blinked. "Did...did she…"

Everyone's face softened. Ethan's heart broke.

"I can't believe I…" He trailed off. "She was all alone. She said it herself. I..I…"

"It's okay, E," Sarah said. "She was going to hurt a lot of people."

"That doesn't mean she didn't deserve a chance," Ethan said.

Benny began to shift in his seat, heart pounding.

"I think we should all call it a night," Jesse said, standing up. "I have to leave and give a report to the agency. As for you dorks...I wanted to say thank you."

Everyone mumbled their appreciation, but Ethan remained silent. Jesse sighed, going up to Ethan and patting him on the back. Ethan stood up slowly.

"You couldn't do anything about it, Ethan," he said quietly. "Potenia...she was too dangerous. Even for herself. Trapped in her own mind with the power to destroy — the only thing she would end up destroying was herself. That much power in one human person…"

"I know," Ethan said, sneaking a glance at Benny, whose finger was tapping against his leg.

"Are you okay?" Sky asked softly to Benny. He didn't reply, his eyes glued on Ethan.

"You saved her," Jesse said. "She would have never survived."

Ethan and Benny exchanged looks, and they _knew_.

Ethan didn't have to read Benny's mind to know that he was hopelessly _afraid._

And so was he.

…

 _the wind forced the pages of the old diary to turn._

"i _need to strip [him] of his powers in order for him to stop suffering," her diaries say, " **but that may kill him.** "_

…

Benny stayed in bed as the rest of his friends went out for celebratory tacos.

* * *

 **a/n- oOOOh!**

 **i suppose i'll see you all in the new year then, folks! until next time, drop a review if you liked it if you like, and i will catch ya on the flip side :)**

 _ **ut ex supra observatio (latin, as there was a ton of that today :P)**_


End file.
